Kiku Karasu, the Crysanthimum crow
by KikuKarasu
Summary: "My Name is Kiku Karasu, I am an orphan whom was found in the forest near Kanoha and taken in by-" Kiku paused as red cold eyes entered her mind "- by Lord Hokage's helper Kotetsu." "Your likes and dislikes?" Kakashi called. "I like training so I wont be useless to my team, learning as much as i can so I can help, I like Crows and flying. My dream is to be a legendary Sannin."
1. Opening

I Do not own Naruto or any other characters exept for Kiku and Karasu. Those two are mine and I might bring in more of my characters.

* * *

><p>My vision was black, my body hurt in many different places, I could barley hear anything except for a voice that called over and over.<p>

"Kiku!"

_That voice, I know that voice, who was it?_

"Kiku! Are you alright? Kiku!"

_Who's calling me? A male voice? I cant see, its so dark. My body hurts so badly..._

"Kiku please get up!"

_**Naruto is calling you.**_

_Naruto?_

My eyes opened to the scenery around me. I gazed at a man in a black cloak with red clouds staring at me, he had the rinnengan! I looked and saw naruto on the floor beside him, pinned to the floor with poles that peirced him deeply. Coughing, I struggled to get up on my own two feet.

"We are but men, drawn to act in the name of revenge we deem to be justice. But when we call our vengeance justice, it only breeds more revenge… forging the first link in the chains of hatred." The man said to Naruto but his gaze stayed on mine as I stood fully and tried to run to Naruto but an unseable force shot me into the air, poles shooting up and through me.

The pain was unbearable and I couldnt breath anymore as I let out a pained yell, I started falling and the ground grew close. Naruto yelled my name as I fell and crashed to the floor, the pain was over bearing and my vision grew dark. The man I saw when I first awoke appeared before me, Naruto's eyes were wide with fear but I couldnt understand why.

"Out of love, sacrifice is born… Hate is born… and we are able to know pain!" The man said and suddenly I felt something peirce my back and into an important artery. I screamed at the pain and blood came out of my mouth.

"N-naruto, Gomenasai..." I breathed, I had landed a bit away from him, I reached my hand out and grabbed his and tears reached my eyes and I staired into his eyes. I looked to the man before me his orange hair hanging over emotionless eyes that soon grew wide as he looked into mine. My rinnengan had activated one last time as I used the last ounce of life in me to get my other body to take the poles out of Naruto.

"Kiku!"

He screamed but my vision grew black and my breathing stopped.

My name Is Kiku Karasu, holder of the Rinnengan, I have two spirits within me, mine and crow demon named Karasu. I named myself after him for he was the first one to accept me and help me. I am Kiku Karasu and this is my story.


	2. Team 7

**-Team 7!-**

"Kuku get up!" A voice called.

A girl with strait purple hair grumbled and turned over in her bed, growling at the voice.

"Get up I said!" The voice yelled, banging started on the door.

She growled again, and peeked an eye open. Staring at the clock.

"Kiku if you don't get up Im comeing in there and throwing you in the lake!"

"Ok Kotetsu Im up!" She yelled back annoyed that she had to get out of the comfort and warmth of the bed.

_**Morning sunshine! You know, the morning bird gets the worm.**_

_Well Im not a bird and I don't eat worms and I HATE MORNINGS!_

Karasu just laughed at that and quieted down, letting the cranky girl go through her morning tantrum.

"Get ready Kiku their picking teams today remember?" Kotetsu called through the door.

"Shit!" She yelled, running to my drawer and yanking cloths out to pick out what to wear. Kiku threw cloths after cloths onto the bed before picking out a black shirt that was short and showed her stumach but that was covered in fishnet, over that was a deep dark blue coat with a raven on the back, and black jean skirt that had slits on each side for movement and deep dark blue shorts under that. Kiku then attached her Kanoha headband around her stumach to hide most of the skin.

"OK Im ready to find my perfect team!" She shouted enthusiastically.

* * *

><p>As Kiku entered the room to the class she emediatly noticed that a group of girls were bikering along with a pink haired female and a blonde, Sakura and Ino, both yelling at eachother.<p>

"Typical." Kiku muttered taking a randome seat to wait for the teacher, she pulled out a Kunai and boredly twirled it about. Not taking notice to the now suddenly silent room.

"Hey! Who said you could sit next to my Sasuke-kun!" One girl said yelled, breaking me from twirling the Kunai. Kiku glanced at her in annoyance and looked to the next seat to see Sasuke Uchiha.

"Uh..."

"Your Sasuke-kun! You mean mine!" another girl shouted in anger

"You both are delusional! It's obvious that he's in love with me and one day will marry me!" one more added. Soon enough, their was a bunch of angry fan-girls arguing on who Sasuke likes the most.

"What a bunch of losers..." Kiku sighed.

"Clueless" Sasuke muttered under his breath, thinking of his fans. He then looked over to Kiku ,glaring at her. She turned and glared back at him seemingly having no affect. There was a dull thud on his desk and he turned his eyes away, only to come face-to-face with a blonde boy. Naruto Uzumaki was crouching on the desk in front of the Uchiha boy, so close their noses were almost touching, growling at him audibly with a death glare. Sasuke just looked at him in irritation.

"Naruto!" one fan-girl yelled. "Hey, stop glaring at Sasuke-kun!"

_Why are they so obsessed with him? _Naruto thought bitterly to himself._ Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun. What's the big deal with this guy?_

The Uchiha, seeing that Naruto wasn't planning on backing off soon, narrowed his eyes into a glare of his own. Their faces got closer and sparks of hate began to fly when they looked at the other. The fan-girls were all yelling and complaining about the blonde being so close to their Sasuke-kun.

"Whoa, haha, this is great!" A guy in front of Naruto said as he stood up and bumped the boy.

"Sorry, did I bump you?" He asked as he turned to face Naruto.

"What the?" Sakura asked, speechless.

"I…uh…," Ino trailed off, not being able to find an answer.

"Oh my gosh..." Kiku snickered

Naruto and Sasuke were kissing. Accident though it was, a kiss is a kiss and a boy just took the first those two ever had. The two of them broke apart as fast as they could and began to spit and choke, trying desperately to pretend that didn't just happen.

"Naruto! You moron! I'm gonna kill you!" Sasuke said while cupping his throat as though he was choking.

"Yuck! My mouth is rotting!" Naruto exclaimed while cupping his own throat. He suddenly felt a very dark aura around him. _DANGER!, _he thought as sweat began to bead down his face. Naruto turned around, only to be faced with many angry fan-girls ready to beat the living day-lights out of him.

"I-It wasn't m-my fault! I swear!" Naruto told them, putting his hands up in mock defeat. He's toast…

After being beaten up by Dozens of fan girls Naruto sat beside Kiku, beaten to a pulp with his head on the dest.

"Hey you ok there?" Kiku asked him.

Naruto's head lifted and his blue eyes met her bright aqua marine ones. "Uh yeah I guess."

"Those are some pretty brutal chicks huh?" Kiku asked, doodling on some paper.

"Yeah you got that right..." Naruto muttered.

"Im Kiku by the way, just transfered to this room the other day." She said smiling.

"N-naruto Uzumaki." He stuttered, a girl was talking to him!

"Yes I know you got a pretty big reputation there!" She laughed, "With all the pranks you did."

"As of today, you are all ninjas," Iruka lectured. "To get here you faced difficult trials and hardships. But that's nothing. What comes next is going to be far more difficult. Now you are only Genin, first level ninjas. All the Genin will be grouped into three-man squads. Each squad will be lead by a Jounin; an elite ninja."

"Ugh I hope I dont get into Sasuke-teme's team." Naruto grumbled, _Please be with Sakura please be with Sakura please be with Sakura!_ Naruto begged in his mind.

"We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities, so that's how we set them up. I will now announce the squads," Iruka announced, looking over the list in his hands.

After listening to him blabber on and on about squads he finally came to the seventh one, "…squad seven; Uzumaki Naruto…"

Naruto perked up at that and sat strait, listening intently to Iruka.

"Sakura Haruno"

Naruto jumped and cheered, he would finally have a chance to impress Sakura! However Sakura seemed depressed.

"Sasuke Uchiha"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto bellowed out loud while Sakura rubed it into Ino's face.

"And Kiku Karasu."

"Wait what? Its supposed to be a three member team plus their Sensei, not four." Kiku said confused.

"Well, your an extra student so congradulations your a special case." Iruka said, suddenly the girls started arguing about Sakura being on Sasuke's team and yelling out their whines, "QUIET DOWN NOW! Im not done yet!"

"Yes Sir..." The girls all muttered to themselves.

"I don't get it one bit. What would she see in a guy like that anyway? He's not so special," Shikamaru commented lazily to Ino, who he had the misfortune to be seated with.

"You are so beyond clueless, Shikamaru. Don't you get it at all?" Ino asked him rudely.

"No I don't get it, 'cos I'm not a girl," He answered.

"You are so full of yourself. I'd hate to be in your squad," Ino said snootily.

"And squad ten; Yamanaka Ino," Iruka continued to announce. "Nara Shikamaru…"

"Ha! Did you say something about hating to be on my squad?" Shikamaru taunted the blonde, who growled in response.

"…and, Akimichi Choji," Iruka concluded.

A boy near the front, who was scoffing potato chips at this precise moment in time, didn't do anything to acknowledge that he had heard Iruka place him in the same squad as the cool genius and the pig-like blonde.

_Ah! Not food-boy too!_ Ino thought in loathing and despair. Choji, as if hearing her thoughts, scoffed another chip and gave her an evil look before going back to eating.

"Those are all the squads," Iruka declared, lowing the sheet of names.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called, standing up and pointing at Sasuke. "Why does a great ninja, like me, have to be in the same group as a slug like Sasuke?"

"Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst scores over all," Iruka told him. Many ninja in the class began laughing. "To create a balanced group, we had to put the worst student with the two best students. Since Sakura was the best kunoichi, she fits the bill as well. As for Kiku well she is the best Kunoichi as well."

"Just make sure you don't get in my way, dobe," Sasuke stated to Naruto in a calm voice.

"Hey what did you say?" Naruto yelled at the uninterested Uchiha boy.

"Hard of hearing?" Sasuke mocked.

Kiku held Naruto back from decking the annoying Uchiha.

As the time passed and teams left Naruto leaned near Kiku, "Hey so we got on the same team!" He smiled.

"Yep" She said popping the 'p'.

"Hn," Sasuke randomly pitched in.

"It's been a while... Sasuke." Kiku called out to him, only for him to 'hn' again.

"You know Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked/demanded.

"Its none of your concern." Kiku stated.

**I hate fangirls.**

_I know Karasu I do too such annoying nuisences._

"Well excuse me!" Sakura shot back.

"Hn," Kiku replied making Sakura glare at her.

* * *

><p>"Why is our sensei so damn late?" Naruto questioned as he, Sakura, Kiku and Sasuke waited for their sensei inside the academy classroom.<p>

Sasuke sat on his own at the front desk closest to the door as Sakura leaned against the desk next to his. Kiku sat in the way back corner, ignoring everyone. Naruto, however, kept moving around and pacing at the front of the room, bugging the other two. The blonde stuck his head out of the door and looked both ways several times, to see if their sensei was coming yet. He/She wasn't anywhere in sight, and Naruto was getting impatient. Not that the other two weren't annoyed as well, they just covered it up better than their emotional blonde-haired teammate.

"Naruto, why don't you just sit still?" Sakura complained, beginning to get irritated with him.

"All the other teams left with their sensei's," he countered. "And even Iruka-sensei went home already!"

"Just be patient," Sakura said, trying desperately not to punch the knuckle-head. Sakura suddenly heard a noise and looked up to see Naruto, who was standing on a chair, placing a chalk eraser into the gap between the slightly open door and the door frame, grinning like mad.

"Hey! What do you think your doing?" Sakura exclaimed as she walked over to where Naruto was.

"It's his fault for being late," Naruto said proudly.

"You're asking for trouble. You know you shouldn't do that," Sakura lectured to him, hands on both hips.

_'Cha! I love stuff like this!' _Inner Sakura cheered.

"Our teacher's a Jounin; do you think he'd fall for something like that?" Sasuke asked, uninterested. A hand appeared on the door and slid it open slightly before the owner of the hand peeped their head in. Just as Naruto had planned, the Jounin fell for his trick and the eraser plopped on his head, covering it in chalk dust.

"I got him! He totally fell for it!" Naruto boasted, pointing a finger at the man.

"Naruto, your so childish," Sakura stated with an aggravated look.

'_Perfect shot, Naruto_!' Inner praised, giving Naruto two thumbs up.

_Is he really a Jounin_? Sasuke asked mentally. He doesn't seem very reliable…

Kiku stared at the man with a sigh.

The man walked into the room and picked up the eraser, studying it for a few moments before observing his team. Sakura and Naruto both stood grinning at the man while Sasuke, however, was still sat behind the desk, scowling. Team seven also observed their next sensei. He was wearing the usual, regulation uniform of a Jounin, meaning blue shirt, blue trousers and a forest green vest, with blue ninja sandals and his weapons pouches on his thigh and hip. He also had a blue mask covering his face up to the bridge of his nose, so all that was left visible were his eyes. Unfortunately, his headband was tied in a way so that it covered his right eye, only showing his obsidian left one. His hair was silver and spiked up, leaning slightly to the right as it did so. He also had blue, fingerless gloves on with a metal plate over the backs of his hand.

"Hmm, how can I put this as kindly as possible?" He asked himself. "My first impression of this group…you're all a bunch of idiots." All Genin covered themselves in a layer of gloom with a disbelieving look on their faces. Their new sensei, however, just stared blankly at them.

* * *

><p>Team seven and their new sensei were all out on the roof of the academy together. The Genin were sitting on the steps, with Sasuke in the middle of Naruto and Sakura and Kiku behind them, and their sensei was sitting on the railing across from them with his arms crossed over his chest. Sasuke had his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers laced together, hiding his mouth and the tip of his nose. Naruto had his legs apart with his hand on the ground, arms going though his legs to do so. Sakura was positioned with her knees pulled up to her chest and her right hand holding her left wrist in front of her legs. and Kiku had her knees up to her chest also but her arms folded on her knees while her head rested there.<p>

"Well, let's begin with introducing ourselves," Their sensei said lazily.

"What do you want to know?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

"Things you like. Things you hate. Dreams for the future." The older man said with a shrug. "Hobbies. Things like that."

"Why don't you tell us stuff first?" Naruto recommended simply.

"Me?" He asked, pointing to himself. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate…I don't feel like telling you that." He shrugged, not caring to explain his reasons to the twelve-year-olds.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, but he was ignored.

"…My dreams for the future…never really thought about it," Kakashi admitted easily. "As for my hobbies…I have lots of hobbies."

"Well, that was totally useless. All we really found out was his name," Sakura commented to her teammates, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay, your turn," Kakashi said, pointing to Naruto.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like instant ramen in a cup, but I really, really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at the Ichiraku ramen shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is to eat and compare different cup ramens. And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage. Then the whole entire village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important," Naruto concluded, pumping his fist in the air out of serious determination. Well, he's grown up in a very interesting way,Kakashi thought to himself.

"Alright, next," Kakashi said, looking directly at Sakura.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," she began, unsure of what to say. "What I like is…W-well I mean who I like is... My future dreams are... " Sakura giggled the whole time, stealing glances at the Uchiha

"And…what do you hate?" Kakashi . Sakura thought for a while before saying, "Nauro!" Naruto hung his head in depression.

"Okay, Now you" Kakashi stated lookin at Uchiha.

"My name…is Uchiha Sasuke," He said slowly.

"What, forgot your name?" Kiku muttered when she noticed the pause, but everyone heard her anyway. Sasuke glared at her while Naruto laughed and Kakashi sighed in amusement.

"I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan and…to kill a certain man," he finished darkly. Everyone was silent, just staring at Sasuke. Kiku stared at the floor in depression, eyes turning emotionless.

_**Easy there girl, their gunna notice. Remember not to say anything.**_

_I know Karasu it's just so hard._

_I hope he doesn't mean me_, Naruto prayed mentally, getting ready to run for his life if needed.

_Just as I thought_, Kakashi mused, frowning.

_Sasuke…, _Sakura thought sadly to herself before perking back up, _He's so cool!_

"Alright now the last one, you with the purple hair." Kakashi called.

"My Name is Kiku Karasu, I am an orphan whom was found in the forest near Kanoha and taken in by-" Kiku paused as red cold eyes entered her mind "- by Lord Hokage's helper Kotetsu."

"Your likes and dislikes?" Kakashi called.

"Hmm well I like training so I wont be useless to my team, learning as much as i can so I can help, I like Crows and flying. Theres more but I dont feal like telling you. I hate arrogent people and people who let revenge cloud their minds. What I hate the most is fangirls." Kiku said glancing at Sakura who glared back.

"What was that?" Sakura shouted.

"Hn, I said I hate fan girls, their annoyingly loud and stupid. They only concentrait on boys and let themselves get weak because their more obsessed with boys. Its stupid and pathetic." Kiku stated.

"Good; you're each unique and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow," Kakashi informed them interupting the soon to be cat fight.

"Yeah!" Naruto said, saluting sloppily. "What kind of mission are we going to have?"

"It's a task that the four of us will do together," Kakashi said slowly and mysteriously.

"What, what, what?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"Survival training," Their sensei told the three new Genin.

"Huh? Survival training?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.

"Why are we going to train when it's a mission?" Sakura hotly asked. "We had plenty of training at the academy."

"Exactly." Kiku muttered in irritation.

"This is no ordinary training," Kakashi informed them, his eye crinkling as though he was smiling underneath his mask.

"What is it then?" Sasuke finally asked, beginning to get as impatient as his comrades. Their strange sensei suddenly began chuckling.

"What's so funny, sensei?" Sakura asked, annoyed.

"Yes old man please enlighten us." Kiku demanded.

"Umm...well…it's just that…when I tell you this, you guys are totally going to freak out…," Kakashi taunted.

"Huh?" Naruto queried. Kakashi stopped laughing and adopted a scary looking face before speaking.

"Out of the twenty seven graduates who just came here, only nine will actually be accepted as Genin," He stated menacingly. "The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words; this is a make it-break it, pass-fail test. And the chance that you'll fail is at least sixty six percent." Naruto's face became a mix of shock and fear. Sasuke just looked annoyed and utterly pissed off. Sakura sweat-dropped at the act their sensei had put just to tell them this. Kiku's eye just twitched in annoyance.

"I told you you'd freak out," Kakashi mocked innocently, as if he hadn't just told them they would most likely have to go back to school for another year of learning.

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed. "I went through so much trouble! Then what was the final exam for?"

"That? It just picks out those who are qualified to become Genin," Kakashi told him, not caring in the slightest for the future of the group in front of him.

"WHAT?" Sakura and Sasuke rubbed their ears with annoyed looks on their faces at how loud the knuckle-head was being.

"Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds," Kakashi informed them. "Bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5 A.M.!"

_Well, I'm not gonna be weeded out. People are gonna look up to me someday. I gotta pass this test. Believe it. Believe it!_ Naruto thought seriously. He felt determined to pass the exam but terrified at the same time.

Sakura looked over at both her teammates. Naruto's whole body was vibrating and he was sweating bullets. Sasuke on the other hand just tightened his grip on his hands in annoyance. _Their both so nervous about the test…,_ Sakura thought to herself as she tightened her grip on her legs. _…I gotta pass…If I dont i'll never see Sasuke-kun again!_

_'Cha! I'm definitely gonna pass! Theirs no stopping me from becoming a ninja!' _Inner declared.

_If Im to become strong enough to take that man out, I must not fail!_ Kiku thought angrily in her head.

_**Thats the way to do it! Beside's with me it will be a breaze. Easy as 1,2,3.**_

"That's it, you're dismissed," Kakashi said, waving a hand at them. "Oh, tomorrow, you'd better skip breakfast or else…you'll puke," He added menacingly, but with a cheerful smile under his mask.

* * *

><p>The next day at five o'clock in the morning, Sasuke, Kiku, Naruto and Sakura all walked to the designated rendezvous point. Each had a rather large bag with them -midnight blue shoulder bag for Sasuke and a black shoulder bag for Sakura, a Dark purple for Kiku, and a dark green backpack in Naruto's case- full of their ninja equipment. Their kunai holsters and shuriken pouches were in the correct places and each had an empty stomach. They each nodded in acknowledgement of the other two and waited for Kakashi to arrive. Everything was silent until Naruto's stomach growled rather loudly. Sakura giggled while Sasuke just sighed in annoyance.<p>

An hour passed and the sun was starting to rise. Naruto was now weary and wished for nothing more than to sleep until lunch time. Sakura had gotten tired of standing and sat down on the grass, leaning on Naruto's back for support. Sasuke had glanced at her when she had done this But he just shrugged it off and continued to wait for his sensei With Kiku standing next to him.

Yet another hour flew by and Sasuke was still on his feet, Kiku sitting next to him looking royaly pissed off. Naruto and Sakura, however, had long since fallen asleep in exhaustion, each leaning on each others back for support. Sasuke's eyes began to drop and he shook his head. Trying desperately to stay awake. But the lack of sleep was to much and Sasuke sat down on the ground and before he knew it…exhaustion took over and everything went black.

Around twenty minutes had passed and Kakashi finally arrived. He was surprised to see that all of his students had fallen asleep. But was in even more shock at the position everyone was in. Sakura and Naruto were leaning on each others back while Sasuke's head was rested on Kiku's lap who was cuddleing him.

"Morning everyone!" Kakashi said rather loud. The Genin woke up with a start and noticed their sensei staring at them with an innocent smile.

"Your late!" Naruto yelled as he stood up and pointed an accused finger at Kakashi.

"Well a black cat crossed my path so…," Kakashi trailed off at the glares he received from his students. "Anyway, Kiku, Sasuke are you having fun there?" The two love-birds were confused by his words but blushed as they realized the position they were in.

Kiku simply let go, muttering sorry and standing up, said, Sasuke stood up and dusted himself off with a face that said Nothing happend.

"Well," Kakashi cleared his throat, trying not laugh. "Let's get started."

He then walked over to a near-by stump and placed a timer on top of it carefully. Sasuke, Sakura, Kiku and Naruto watched him in question. He then pressed the button on top to set the timer for a certain time and turned to face them so he could explain and answer the silent question asked by the four.

"Here we go," Kakashi began. "It's set for noon." He took two bells out of his pocket and let them jingle. "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it." The bells bounced and jingled again. "If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch."

"Wha-!" Naruto cried loudly in protest of the idea.

"I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps," Kakashi continued, pointing to three wooden posts. "But I'll also eat right in front of you."

All three Genin sweat-dropped at their sensei's words and had a look of despair on their faces.

_So that's why he said…,_ Sasuke thought.

…_to not eat anything…, _Sakura finished. Both holding their stumachs in annoyance and hunger.

"But wait, there's three of us," Sakura stated suspiciously. "How come there're only two bells?"

"Well that way, at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission," The man informed her cheerfully and calmly. "That one will immediately go back to the academy. Then again, all three of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, then you're not going to be able to take the bells." Kakashi concluded, bouncing the bells into his palm and closing his fingers around them.

"You'll lose! Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser from yesterday," Naruto laughed easily. Kakashi, stared at Naruto with a blank expression…as far as they could see in his single showing eye at least.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them, to be honest. Lowest scores; losers; dead lasts," Kakashi stated, annoying Naruto as planned. "When I say start, you can begin."

Naruto, riled up completely from the comments his sensei threw at him, growled and grabbed a kunai, swinging it around his finger. He got a good grip on it and ran passed Sakura and Sasuke, charging at Kakashi.

"Wait! Naruto!" Sakura called out to him.

Kiku had stepped forward to grab him but Sasuke grabbed her shoulder shaking his head, wanting the Dobe to learn his own leason.

Naruto ignored her call though. Kakashi's words flitted though his mind continuously, only serving to extend his anger even further. Just as he was about to lunge at the Jounin, his hand and head were both grabbed, the kunai he was holding now to his neck while still in his own hand, Sasuke tense and watching the situation.

"Calm down," Kakashi said. "I didn't even say start yet." Sasuke backed off a little as Kakashi let the blonde go, but Kiku walked over to Naruto and took his arm gently in concern for him.

No way…, Sakura thought in disbelief, as she stared at her sensei. I couldn't even see him…

_So this is a Jounin_, Sasuke noted with a scowl.

"But, you came at me with the full intention of killing me so…how can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys," Kakashi told them with a small smile. Sakura stared at him with a smirk while Sasuke observed the man coolly for another trick as Naruto, being the trusting person he is, grinned slightly. Kiku rolled her eyes at them but smirked none the less.

"Get ready," Kakashi told them. They got into positions to move. "And now…start!" All of them jumped off into a hiding spot of their own, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. Well…at least, Sakura, Kiku and Sasuke did.

"A basic for a ninja is to conceal his presence and hide," Kakashi said out loud.

He had attached the bells to his waist, making it harder to get them without him noticing they were gone. He looked around to see where the young shinobi were hidden. Sasuke was hiding in a tree, using a branch covered in leaves to cover him properly. Sakura had crouched down to hide under a bunch of bushes. Kiku, he smirked, had conceald herself in the ground. Not many genin new how to do that just yet.

_Good…Everyone is hidden nicely_, Kakashi noted.

"Huh?" Kakashi said as he looked up to see Naruto standing right in front of him.

"You and me! Right now! Fair and square! Let's go!" Naruto yelled to his sensei.

"Hmm?" Kakashi questioned, wondering if this orange-wearing ninja was really trying to fight him one-on-one.

_Idiot,_ Sasuke acknowledged, rolling his eyes just as Sakura did the same.

_Naruto you dumbass!_ Sakura scowled at her loser teammate.

"You know, compared to the others, you're a little bit…weird," Kakashi informed the blonde with a 'you-can't-be-serious' look.

"Oh yeah? The only thing weird here is your haircut," Naruto retorted without grace. Kiku tried her hardest not to laugh at that, keeping her hands over her mouth. He then charged at the man, again, with a war cry. After seeing Naruto run at him, Kakashi reached into his back pouch and felt around inside it for something. Noticing his sensei reaching for something, Naruto stopped abruptly.

"Shinobi battle techniques. Part one; Taijutsu. The physical art," Kakashi recited to the blonde.

Taijutsu…that's hand-to-hand combat. Then why is he reaching for a weapon? Naruto asked himself with a glare directed at Kakashi. Kakashi pulled his hand out of his pouch and an orange book came out with it. He opened the book and held it in front of him.

"What the…?" Naruto asked, completely confused.

"What're you waiting for? Make your move," Kakashi told him, not taking his eyes off of the book.

"But…Hey! What's with the book?"

"I just want to know what happens next. But, don't worry, it won't make a difference with you guys."

"I'll kick your ass!" He promised as he began charging again with his fist ready to swing round and punch the man in the face. He kicked off from the ground and aimed a high punch at Kakashi's jaw from behind, only to be blocked by a single hand. Kakashi didn't move any part of his body other than his arm to do it as he continued to read. Not giving up yet, Naruto kicked off again and tried to kick the silver-haired man in the stomach, but Kakashi ducked.

"Now you're mine!" Naruto promised. With an opening spotted, Naruto aimed a punch at Kakashi's head, only to stop when the man was no longer in front of him.

_Huh?_ He thought.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time," Kakashi scolded lightly as he appeared behind Naruto, his hands together with his index and middle fingers pointed up. His book was in-between his palms as he remained crouched on the ground.

From her hiding spot under a bush close to the battle, Sakura's eyes narrowed. She closely observed the way Kakashi was holding his hands.

_What? His hand position? Is that the tiger seal? _Sakura thought to herself. _No way! He's going to use a Jutsu against Naruto._

Kiku noticing this as well came out of her spot to help her team mate.

"Naruto! Run away!" She shouted. But it was to late.

"To late," Kakashi stated. "Leaf village secret Taijutsu finger Jutsu!" He yelled with an evil gleam in his eye. Kakashi's hand raised as he poked Naruto in the butt, hard. "A thousand years on pain!" He yelled, sending Naruto flying with a major pain in his rear.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed as he flew forwards, clutching his throbbing backside. He landed into a near-by river with a 'splash'. Sakura sweat-dropped at the entire scene with a slight blush on her face at what her sensei just did.

Kiku never stopped running and let a kick to her sensei, but a poof resounded and he dissapeard making her scowl and looking all over.

"Two idiots," Sasuke muttered, sweat-dropping at the scene as well. He then took notice of the fact that Kiku was out in the open and Kakashi had suddenly disappeared. Sakura was shaking her head at the two when she suddenly realized that her sensei had disappeared.

_She's a sitting duck out here!_ She thought desperately to herself.

A barrage of shurikens suddenly came flying at Kiku. She quickly jumped to the side and managed to dodge them. Unfortunately, she did not notice the kunai flying at her from behind until she turned around. Kiku sealed her eyes, and placed her arms in front of her face in defense. But Sasuke hastily jumped out of his hiding spot and grabbed her in time. He jumped onto another tree to hide while Kakashi stood on the open-field again, continuing to read his book.

Kiku stood quietly on the branch with Sasuke's arms still around her. They both didn't know if their sensei knew where they were hiding but they didn't want to take the chance. Kiku noticed were Sasuke's arms were and pulled them off with a slight blush on her face.

"Thanks," she whispered to him with a scowl. Not liking the idea of Sasuke having to save her. She was very indapendant and wasn't used to it. Sasuke nodded his head to her and they both continued to analyze their sensei's moves.

"Behind you" A voice suddenly called and Kiku turned sharp with a gasp and she was suddenly nocked out.

* * *

><p>When Kiku came too she was tied to a post with Naruto while Sakura and Sasuke sat on the side with lunch box's.<p>

"Naruto, your worst of them all! All you did was think of your stumach and try to steal the lunch's and take me on by yourself! Sasuke You thought you could do evreything on your own withought your teamates and Sakura you did nothing!" Kakashi's voice sounded. Kiku was still out of it but when she finally focused Kakashi had gone and the others were glaring at the floor.

"Ugh what the hell... my heads killing me." Kiku groaned.

"Im so hungry..." Naruto whined next to her.

"What happened?" Kiku asked.

"You passed out like a loser." Sasuke said coldy.

"Oh Im sorry my life complicates yours precious Uchiha, please forgive me for not respecting your chicken ass hair and dick attitude." Kiku snapped causeing Sauske to glare in hatred.

"Leave him alone!" Sakura yelled.

"Back off bitch." Kiku growled menicingly.

"Come on guys cant we just get along?" Naruto said scared at the now murderous tention.

"Hear Naruto, eat" Sakura sighed, breaking the tention.

"A-are you sure?" Naruto stuttered, "Youd have to feed it to me im kinda tied up"

"Fine" She said through gritted teath.

Kiku watched with mild interest but her mind was else where. During her time knocked out she had a flashback of her past. Her eyes suddenly filled sorrowfull and filled with pain and agony at the memory.

"Hey." Kiku was snapped out of it and looked to see Sasuke looking at her holding food infront of her, She hid her emotions and nodded in thanks.

Suddenly The clouds grew dark and Kakashi's booming voice came in "You broke the rules!" Sakura stood up defencivly and Naruto and Sakura cowered.

"Yeah well you said the test was a team and our teammates were hungry so we gave them some food!" Sasuke said.

"Yeah!" Sakura and Naruto agreed.

"YOU ALL" Kakashi started in a scary voice, "Pass"

"Eh?" Came Kiku's reply.

" You all did exactly as I expected" Kakashi said with a crinckle in his eye.

"Sorry maybe I wasnt clear before... Eh?" Kiku said making a face.


	3. Journy to the land of waves!

**Journy to the land of waves!**

The sun shined brightly down at the village hidden in the leaves as four Genin stood hidden behind the trees of the near-by forest. Awaiting the signal from their masked sensei.

"_This is Sasuke, I've arrived at point B_," a voice was heard though an intercom.

"_This is Sakura. I'm at point C_," a female voice replied after him.

"_Naruto here! I'm at point A_!" a hyperactive voice returned.

"_Hn, Kiku at point D."_ a bored tone said.

"_Okay then, team seven_," a final voice said.

"_Get ready. The target has moved! After it!_" Kakashi called as a silhouette, a rather small one, with glowing eyes ran out of hiding and deeper into the trees for safety against the ruthless ninjas.

Sasuke, Kiku, Sakura and Naruto peeked out from behind their trees, which were points A, B, C, and D, as they watched the small silhouette flea from their range. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, as well as Sakura's, Kiku watching bored, while Naruto adopted a serious face.

"Okay, he's there," Naruto stated obviously through the small microphone he used to communicate. He and the others moved into a closer hiding spot to their target, hoping to get the mission over and done with. Kakashi, who wasn't with the four but a close distance from them, moved his microphone closer to his mouth.

"_What's the distance to the target_?" he asked the three Genin.

"_Five meters_," Naruto replied. "_I'm ready to go. Just give me the signal_."

"_I'm ready too_," Sasuke confirmed.

"_Same here_," Sakura replied.

"Okay…," Kakashi began. "GO!"

The two boys of team seven leapt from their hiding spots to jump the shadowed creature before it could get away. Naruto was the first to get to it as he grabbed the target roughly around its middle, causing the creature to meow pitifully.

"I got him! I got him!" Naruto yelled in triumph as he held onto the…kitten.

"I got you!" the blonde taunted the cat. It began to hiss and scratch his body, mostly his face, without remorse.

"Can you verify a red ribbon on his right ear?" Kakashi questioned.

"Affirmative. We've got a positive ID," Sakura answered.

"_So it's our target, 'Tora'?" _Kiku asked through the intercom device.

_All this over a stupid cat! I hate cats!_

_**You and me both kid.**_

"It's the target for sure," Sasuke replied, ignoring Naruto as the cat began to stamp on his head while Sakura sweat-dropped at the beating the blonde was getting from a cat.

"Okay," Kakashi said. "Operation 'Capture Tora, the Lost Pet' has been completed. Well done team."

"ISN'T THERE A MORE EXCITING MISSION WE CAN WORK ON?" Naruto bellowed through the device, causing Kakashi to fall back at the volume of his voice. This cause Kiku to burst out laughing.

* * *

><p>Soon team 7 found themselved in a large room, where the Hokage and a few other people sat.<p>

"Oh, my cute Tora-chan!" A podgy woman cooed as she squeezed the life out of the small cat with a red ribbon on its ear. This woman was the wife of Fire countries feudal Lord. Her name was Madam Shijimi. "Mommy was so, so, so worried about her naughty little fuzzy-kins! Yes!"

"Aha! In your face, you stupid cat," Naruto cackled as he watched the cat fight for breathing space while the woman continued to crush it. Kiku grinned evily as she watched also.

"No wonder it ran away," Sakura stated simply, sweat dropping at the scene in front of her as Sasuke nodded in response.

"Now then…," Sarutobi, the third Hokage, began. "Kakashi's team seven's next mission is…hmm? Ah! We have several available tasks that need completing. Babysitting Yojyu-sama's three-year-old boy. Helping his wife do her grocery shopping at the neighboring town. Helping dig potatoes at the-"

"NO!" Naruto bellowed, crossing his arms in a large 'X' in front of him. "No thanks to all of those! I want to do a more exciting mission! Something challenging, not just this little baby stuff! Choose something else! Come on, old man!" He almost begged.

"Yeah." Kiku agreed while glaring but not at Sarutobi.

_There is some truth in that. I don't want to get stuck doing these boring missions either, I need to get stronger._ Sasuke thought, agreeing with Naruto.

_ARG Naruto your so annoying! Yet your right the missions are boring but I dont want anything to scary.., _Sakura said in her mind, looking at the bellowing blonde.

_**'Cha! These missions are totally crappy**_!' her inner-self exclaimed.

_I knew he was going to do this sooner or later_, Kakashi thought with a sigh.

"You idiot!" Iruka scolded as he stood up from his chair, slamming his hands on the desk in front of him. "You're still a rookie ninja! A Genin! A beginner with no experience for Kami-sama's sake! Everyone needs to start with the easy missions to gain experience! How dare you demand something else?"

"Are you serious! Babysitting is not a mission, it's a chore! None of us want to stick to this crap!" Naruto began in return. "We've only been doing dumb missions lately!" Both Kakashi and Sakura, getting fed up with the complaining, hit him over the head and caused the blonde to fall to the floor.

"Will you put a lid on it?" Kakashi asked annoyed.

"Yeah, Naruto. Give it a rest," Sakura scolded him.

"Ah!" The blonde cried, jumping into a sitting position and rubbing the back of his head in pain.

"Naruto!" The Hokage called. "It seems as if you do not understand the tasks you have been given." These words caught Naruto's attention as he looked up to the Hokage. "Listen. Many different kinds of requests come into our village everyday, from babysitting to assassinations. These requests are carefully sorted." He gestured towards an assortment of scrolls with different letters on them. "They are analyzed, and then ranked 'A', 'B', 'C', or 'D', depending on their difficulty. Are you with me so far?"

"Yeah, believe it!" Naruto cheered. The Hokage then looked towards the other Genin.

"And you three?" he questioned.

"Hn," Sasuke replied with a nod.

"Hn." was Kiku's responce. Mocking Sasuke just for fun causing him to glare at her and her to smirk.

"I am," Sakura stated respectfully, with a downward tilt of her head as if she were bowing.

"Very well then, I shall continue. We ninja are also ranked by our abilities and power. Hokage is at the top, then Jounin like Kakashi, followed by Chunin such as Iruka and Genin, like you, at the bottom. At the highest level, we select missions and assign them to ninja who have the appropriate skill and experience and, if the mission is successful, we receive a fee that supports our village and our work. Since you are inexperienced Genin, just starting down the shinobi path, you are given 'D' ranked assignments, of course… Hmm?" He then noticed that Naruto wasn't even facing him and instead was still sitting on the floor, but with his back to the Hokage.

"So I had this new flavor of ramen yesterday and I'm thinking of going with miso ramen today-" Naruto yammered at Sakura and Sasuke, both just nodded lazily and inputted with the occasional 'uh-huh' and 'alright then'. Kiku leaning against the wall with an eye twitching at the blonde.

"Silence!" Sarutobi yelled to get Naruto to pay attention. The team looked at him, apart from Naruto, and Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, since he was also paying more attention to Naruto's ramen story than the third Hokage. Naruto turned on his butt, not getting off of the floor, and frowned at the Sandaime.

"Man! You always lecture me like you're my Grandfather or something, but I'm not the little brat who used to pull pranks all the time!" Naruto assured rebelliously. "I'm a ninja now and I want a ninja mission!" He finished, turning again and pouting with his back to the Hokage.

"I'm going to hear about this later," Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his silver-covered head making Kiku giggle. Iruka gaped at Naruto's display for a moment before smiling at the predicable complaining. The Hokage suddenly began chuckling, lifting his pipe into his mouth.

"Very well Naruto. So be it," he claimed. Naruto's head perked up and his eyes widened in surprise. Sasuke also looked at the Hokage as if he had gone mad for giving into Naruto so easily while Sakura smiled down at the stunned blonde sitting by her feet.

_Naruto can sure persuade people easily_, Sakura commented in her mind. Kakashi, for his part, looked mildly surprised but mostly curious about the choice the Hokage made.

"You're giving us a real mission?" Naruto asked with eyes wide and hopeful as he did so.

"Since you are so determined, I'm going to give the four of you a C-ranked mission instead. It's a protection mission of a certain individual.," the Hokage informed them with a smile.

"Thank you. Hokage-sama," Sakura said respectfully with a bow.

_**'Cha! A C-rank mission! Alright! Lets show that Kiku witch that we can kick butt!' **_her inner-self exclaimed.

"Yay!" Naruto cheered. "Who? Who? Are we guarding a princess or some big league councilor?"

"Calm down," the Sandaime told him with amusement.

"Yeah dobe," Sasuke said with a scowl.

"You will meet him at the gate, gather the correct supplies needed for this mission then head there." Kakashi stated as everyone dispersed.

* * *

><p>Kiku ran home, jumping up through her window and searching for her necesities. She noticed how clean her room was, Her bed by a small balcony adorned with silky purplr sheets, blankets and black pillows, her closet filled with loads of outfits and shoes, her dirty cloths basket empty, bathroom tidey'd up. She smiled then returned to searching for correct supplies.<p>

_weapons, chakra pills, bandages, some food, sleeping bag, firstaid kit, cloths, Medicine, special scrolls, and water._

_**Very good. Lets get going and get this over with.**_

"Kotetsu! Im going on a mission! I'll see you when I get back! Thank you for cleaning my room for me but next time leave girly items to me!" Kiku laughed as she heard Kotetsu, whom must have been in the kitchen, cough in embarrasment.

Kiku then raced out of the balcony and towards the gate before seing Kakashi and a man. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto behind her.

"What's this? A bunch of little snot-nosed kids?" The man asked in annoyance as he surveyed the team of Genin and a single Jounin in front of him. Taking a few large gulps of the alcohol he had in his hands, the ninja of team seven took a chance to give him a proper look at. He wore light brown trousers, which cut off at his ankles, and a black sleeveless shirt with a piece of purple cloth around it as a belt. The man was rather largely built with broad shoulders and a bit of a stomach, and his skin was tanned. A piece of rope was tied around his head for what seemed like no particular reason while his spiky hair and short beard were both grey. On his back was a large, black bag with a few tan colored scrolls at the top.

"Huh?" Naruto voiced as he looked at the unimpressive man.

"You're just baby ninja, aren't you?" The stranger continued. "As for you, the shortest one with the idiotic look on your face, do you really expect me to believe that you're a ninja?"

"Ha-ha!" Naruto laughed loudly, probably not realizing that he was the one being spoken to. "Who's the shortest one with the idiotic look on…his…face?" He asked, looking from Sasuke to Sakura, Kiku and back again until he finally got it. Sakura and Sasuke then straightened up to their full height while Kiku sighed at him. Naruto looked at them and saw that Sasuke was the tallest –by only a few centimeters-, and then it was Kiku, then Sakura and finally him…by a good few inches.

"Idiot," they muttered simultaneously.

"I'll demolish you!" Naruto cried as he tried to get fee from Kakashi's grip on the back of his jacket to flatten the man who insulted him.

"You can't 'demolish' the client, Naruto. It doesn't work that way," Kakashi informed him carelessly. The man took another chug of his drink, acting like nothing was going on,

"I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and I must return to my country as soon as I can. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your own life in exchange for mine," Tazuna demanded.

Naruto was leading the pack with Sakura just behind him, Tazuna behind her and Kakashi, Kiku and Sasuke coming up in the back. The blonde turned to face his traveling companions and cheered loudly.

"Yeah! Alright!" he yelled.

"What are you getting so excited about, Naruto?" Sakura asked as a cheery aura seemed to radiate around him.

"This is the first time I've ever left the village!" The blonde pronounce, looking in every direction. "I'm a traveler now, believe it!"

"Hey! Am I supposed to trust my life to this runt, that brooder, some pinkhaird chick and and brooder's emo girlfriend? He's nothing but an orange and blonde joke," Tazuna pointed out.

"They're all with me and I'm a Jounin. So you don't need to worry, sir," Kakashi assured him.

"You should be nicer to the people who are protecting you sir." Kiku growled, the 'sir' part comeing out as a hiss.

_Worst client ever! Worst client ever! Worst client ever!_ Played through Naruto's head over and over as Sasuke tried to calm a raging Kiku.

_Damn…she's strong!_ Sasuke thought as he held tight to her waist to stop her from killing their client.

_Why did we have to get this old geezer to guard? I'm going to cut him down to size right now! _Naruto promised.

"Hey! Never insult a ninja! It's a big mistake to do something as stupid as that, old man!" Naruto yelled. "You should know that I'm one of the greatest ninja ever! Someday, I'm going to be a Hokage and you'll have to look up to me! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it!"

"Whatever," Tazuna muttered.

"And another thing! I am not Uchiha's girlfriend!" Kiku snarled angrily.

"That's not what it looks like to me," Tazuna replied, jabbing a thumb behind him to where Sasuke had his arms locked around Kiku's waist. Kiku had stopped raging a few moments before, but she forgot Sasuke was holding her. Naruto gawked at the scene while Kakashi sweat-dropped with a sigh.

"Your lucky he is holding me back or you would be a dead man." Kiku growled again, "Dont you worry Uchiha I wont kill him till he least expects it."

"My mistake," Tazuna said with a wave of his hand. "I should have known. A girl like her…must be hard getting a boyfriend." Tazuna shrugged while Naruto and Sasuke backed away at the menacing aura that seemed to discharge around Kiku filled with hate.

Two dark clothed ninja's stood camouflaged in the trees as they observed the ninja's that were protecting their target.

Tazuna took another swig of his alcohol and observed Naruto with a cool gaze as Kakashi and Sasuke both held Kiku back from pummeling him with her biceps. No doubt that all four of the men present were noting to never get on her bad side.

"Hokage, powerful and wise…you are shrimpy and brainless. The day you become a Hokage is the day I'll sprout wings and fly," the bridge builder told Naruto nonchalantly.

"Ah! Shut up! I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage, no matter what it takes! And when I do, everyone will have to admit that I'm the top ninja of Konoha…including you!" Naruto yelled, now getting thoroughly pissed off with the old man's words and how he uses every opportunity he can to put the boy down a few pegs in his self-confidence.

"Hn. You can become Hokage ten times over and to me you'll still be a no body with an emo girlfriend," Tazuna scoffed.

"I'M NOT ANYONE'S GIRLFRIEND, DAMMIT!" Kiku yelled as both Sasuke and Kakashi continued to retrain her from killing their client, "Leave Naruto alone!"

"You'll always be a loser," Tazuna concluded. Naruto attempted to punch him, but Kakashi managed to let go of Kiku's arm in time to catch the boy's collar as Sasuke shifted to hold Kiku's waist again, just to stop her from beating the bridge-builder to within an inch of his life.

"Come on you guys calm down!" Kakashi demanded.

"Try to ignore him." Sakura frowned, although she didnt like the old man either.

"I'm gonna make you pay for that right now!" Naruto promised, flailing his arms around with his hands clenched into fists.

"I told you; you're supposed to protect the client, not attack him," Kakashi said in a worn and tired tone, obviously getting fed up of saying this same thing over and over again.

"Try telling that to Naruto's girlfriend," Sasuke taunted as he struggled to keep a grip on Kiku, who then turned and hit him upside the head for his comment.

"Well, now I feel much better," she said with a smirk as Sasuke rubbed his aching head and glared at her. Tazuna, not really interested in anything going on, began to walk down the road again. In a tree over-looking the scene of Sasuke and Kiku arguing as Naruto tried to free himself from Kakashi's grip and punch the bridge builder for the insults, the dark clothed ninja's continued to observe them. Awaiting the moment to attack.

"Oi! Tazuna-san!" Sakura called to the old man as they walked along a dirt road through the forest.

"What is it?" he answered gruffly.

"Your country is the land of waves, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, what of it?" Tazuna replied, looking at her curiously.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura called out to her sensei while turning to face him. "Are their any ninja's in that country?"

"No," Kakashi answered. "In other countries, there are hidden villages, each with there own different customs and cultures, where ninja reside. To the people of this continent, the existence of shinobi villages means strength; military strength."

"In other words, that's how they protect themselves and maintain the balance of power with neighboring countries, right?" Sakura questioned.

"Right," Kakashi nodded. "The ninja villages are not controlled by any government. They're independent and have equal status. Now, a small island like the land of waves has natural protection from the sea, so there's no need for a ninja village. Each ninja village has a 'Kage' to rule over them and it is that Kage's job to keep peace with other countries."

"Oh! I get it now! So the Hokage is really important then!" Naruto proclaimed, grinning wildly.

_Yeah right! That old man! It must be a lie!_ Naruto stated in his head as he remember the time he caused the Sandaime to get a major nose-bleed with his Jutsu.

"Wow! Hokage-sama must be a great man!" Sakura exclaimed.

'_**Humph! Is that old man really that important? I'm not buying it for one second**_!' Inner Sakura stated with her arms crossed.

_He can't be that great,_ Sasuke suspiciously questioned. _All he does is sit around with a pipe in his mouth._

"Hey!" Kakashi called. "You all just doubted lord Hokage, didn't you?" All three Genin shook their heads like mad while trying not to look doubtful.

"Don't worry," Kakashi claimed while placing a hand on Sakura's head and ruffling her hair affectionately. "We won't have any ninja battles in a C-ranked mission."

Tazuna grew nervous at those words as Kakashi chuckled. Sasuke turned around and narrowed his eyes at Tazuna while Naruto pouted. Wanting to fight ninja and not just walk to a country and back.

* * *

><p>The group were still walking, now having come to a small but deep river, and were just crossing a bridge at that moment. Naruto was still in the lead with Sasuke and Sakura walking side-by-side behind him and Tazuna, Kiku, and Kakashi in the back.<p>

As they walked passed a puddle, only Kakashi cast a spare look towards it. No rain had fallen recently enough for it to appear as if a storm had just passed, so it seemed a bit odd to them as to the reason a puddle would be in the middle of the road. Also, that puddle was the only one anywhere in sight.

Ripples appeared in the puddle once the entire Konoha group had passed it and a black hair-covered head lifted out of the surface of the water. Soon following it was the entire body of a man, covered in a large black cloak with the bottom half of his face hidden under a gas mask. His hair showed, but half of it was perfectly combed and neat while the other was wild and un-brushed.

The one man split into two as one of them jumped up with a silver chain in his head, traveling at a great speed. The chain was attached to a metal hand-cover that each of the men was wearing, and they wrapped the spiked metal chain around Kakashi's body, since he was the easiest to attack from where they were. Everyone looked in shock as Kakashi's one visible eye widened a little and the two men moved again, pulling the chains tighter and tighter around his large form until he was completely torn apart. Blood covered the ground and splashed on the faces of the two men, who seemed unaffected by the result of their attack.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled, wanting to do something…anything that would save him and make it so what just happened would undo itself. The two men suddenly appeared behind Naruto and laughed.

"Now it's your turn," one stated to the blonde.

They came at him with the same chain that had been used to rip Kakashi apart only moments ago, fully intending on killing the Kyuubi vessel before he got the change to do anything. All Naruto could do was stare at them in a mixture of shock and fear as they came closer and closer. Sasuke acted quickly and out of pure instinct, using a shuriken to pin the chain to the tree nearest before it could wrap around and kill Naruto. He then used a kunai to reinforce the hold the shuriken already had on the chain, just to make sure they couldn't use it.

"Argh! I can't get loose!" the man with straight hair complained as both he and the look-alike with messy hair pulled on the chain to free it from the tree. Naruto stared in awe at Sasuke as the Uchiha landed on the metal claws covering the hands of the mist ninja. He then took a good grip on their arms and kicked their faces, causing them to go back until the chain snapped. Both then ran from Sasuke and one aimed once more for Naruto as the other ran at Tazuna.

Sakura, using all the speed she could muster, moved in front of Tazuna with a kunai ready in hand. A hit that could and probably would kill her was on its way and Sakura watched them come in fear. Not a second before impact, the man was grabbed around the neck by none other than their previously 'dead and torn apart' sensei, Kakashi. This same sensei also had the other man in a tight grip with his second arm.

Naruto was on the floor, still awaiting him impending doom, when he heard a gasp from on of the mist men and looked up. He gaped at the silver-haired man as he single-handedly took down both of the threats in less than a minute of showing up again.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted casually as he held the two men.

"Kaka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief.

_Hn. Show-off_, Sasuke thought with a scowl as Kakashi stole the attention he deserved.

"Huh? But he was-" Naruto started, looking towards the place Kakashi's remains fell. All that he saw now were an assortment of different sized logs in odd locations. "Kakashi-sensei…used the replacement Jutsu."

"Well. At least no one was hurt," Tazuna stated. Relieved that the Genin were able to protect him after all.

"Naruto…sorry I didn't help you right away. I didn't mean for you to get hurt or anything, I just didn't think that you'd freeze up like you did back there," Kakashi stated to the frightened blonde.

"Don't worry about it!" Naruto exclaimed, happy that his sensei was safe.

* * *

><p>The waters below the small wooden boat team seven, Tazuna and another man were in shifted slightly, causing large ripples as they passed. Mist surrounded them and covered the sea, creating a cloak of invisibility around them, which they used to their advantage. They had left the engine off, for precautionary purposes. Then, a bridge began to appear before them in the distance. It was a breath taking sight. Cranes were present on the parts of the bridge that were completed, lifting metal bars and such, while signs and warning were posted across the entrance to warn people that only working personnel could go on the bridge at that moment in time. However, everyone remained silent. They all knew that they were approaching enemy territory. Well…almost everyone did.<p>

"Whoa! It's huge!" Naruto gushed in awe as he grinned widely and became excited.

"What? Quiet!" The man steering scolded him in hushed anger. "I told you, no noise! Why do you think we're traveling like this? Huh? Cutting off the engine and rowing? Moving through the dense fog, so they don't see us." Naruto's hands went up to his mouth to cover it so he wouldn't say anything else as Sasuke looked out into the distant fog. Sakura, however, looked at the bridge without breaking her eyes away from it, frowning at the implication of his words. Kiku staring out at the water.

"Tazuna-san," Kakashi began. "Before we reach the pier, I want to ask you something."

"Huh? Whataya want?" Tazuna asked quietly, looking down rather than facing any of the people he traveled with.

"The men who are after you; I need to know why. If you don't tell us, then I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission as soon as we're done dropping you ashore," The silver-haired man warned.

"Hmmm…," Tazuna considered. Everyone, with the exception of the man rowing the boat, looked at the bridge builder in wait of his answer to Kakashi's inquiry.

"Well?" Naruto prompted.

"I guess I have no choice but to tell you," The old man sighed.

"No shit, Sherlock," Kiku muttered, resting her elbow on the side of the boat and her chin in her palm. You could say that she's not been in the best mood since the day before. Naruto and Sasuke, who heard what she had said, snickered slightly but still listened to the man's words.

"No…I want you to know the truth. Like you said, Kakashi-san, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me," He sighed.

"Go on," Sakura nodded, giving him her full attention.

"Very well. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow." He paused.

"A deadly shadow?" Kakashi asked, half in disbelief. "Hmmm…who is it?"

"You know him…at least I'm almost positive that you've heard his name spoken before," he said. "He's one of the wealthiest men in the world…the shipping magnet, Gato."

"Huh? Gato? Of Gato transport?" Kakashi questioned, his eyes…eye widening slightly.

"He's a business leader…everyone knows him."

"Who, who? What, what?" Naruto asked in his usual hyper way.

"Gato. He's a famous tycoon from a well known company that's true. But below the surface…with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations…he sells drugs and contraband, using gangs and ninja to do his bidding," The bridge-builder stated. "It happened one year ago, when Gato first set his sights on the Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply disappeared." He sighed.

"Well, what's so bad about that? Just leave him and he'll leave you. It can't be as bad as you claim," Naruto said with a shrug.

"Dummy" Kiky muttered along with Sakura.

"Wrong, shorty! In an island nation, a man who controls the sea controls everything! Finance, government and our very lives," Tazuna informed the blonde angrily. He then looked thoughtful and continued. "But, there is one thing even Gato fears."

"What's that?" Sakura questioned.

"…The bridge," Tazuna stated in a 'scary' voice.

"Wow…a…bridge?" Kiku mocked in fake wonderment.

"Shut up! When it is complete, it will join us to the land and that will break his control. That is what he fears. Also, I am the bridge builder in charge of this whole thing," He finished.

"So that's it. Since you're in charge of the bridge, you're standing in this gangster's way," Sakura concluded for the sake of the blonde on her team, who was utterly confused.

"Then that means that those guys we fought in the forest…they were working for Gato," Sasuke added, looking at Sakura as she nodded her head in agreement.

"Uh? Hmmm," Naruto said, acting like he got it making Kiku laugh a little.

"I don't understand," Kakashi admitted. "If you knew that this man was dangerous…knew that he would send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?"

"Because…the Land of Waves…is a small nation in poverty. Even our nobles have little money," Tazuna confessed sadly. "The common people building this bridge; they can't pay for an A or B ranked mission. It's just too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I even reach home."

"Here it comes," Sasuke groaned as they all waited for what they knew was coming.

"Yep…the waterworks," Sakura sighed. Sure enough, Tazuna adopted a sad face with an upset voice to match.

"But…don't feel bad about that. Of course, my sweet little grandson would be upset. He'll cry; 'Grandpa! I want my Grandpa!'," He mimicked.

"Ugh! Not this again!" Naruto and Sakura said together. "Hey! Stop that! I mean it! Stop copying me! Stop!" The two friends carried on until Naruto had grabbed the pinkette's cheek and stretched it while Sakura was beginning to pull on Naruto's spiky yellow hair roughly.

"E-hem," Kiku cleared her throat, annoyed at the childish actions her two 'teammates' were portraying. The two stopped their fight and sat back again as if nothing even happened and Kiku laughed at them.

"Right…where was I? Oh yeah! My daughter will condemn the ninja of the hidden leaf village; denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow," Tazuna continued in false woe.

"Oh boy," Naruto groaned.

"Tell me about it," Sakura agreed along with Kiku

"Hn," Sasuke added.

"Ah well. It's not your fault. Forget it," The bridge-builder assured. The ninja of team seven sighed in relief and Kakashi rubbed the metal of his headband a little bit.

"Well, I guess we have no other choice," He stated, causing his team to groan in annoyance. "We'll have to keep guarding you."

"Oh! I'm very grateful," Tazuna said in mock happiness. I win! The man added in his mind, flashing a peace sign.

They had been riding on the boat for about fifteen more minutes in complete boredom. Naruto suggested that they play 'eye spy', but that stopped when he used nothing other than 'water' and 'a boat', sometimes even 'fog'. Let's just say, Sakura got very annoyed while Sasuke's eye didn't stop twitching.

"We're approaching the shore," The man steering the boat stated as they drew closer to the pier. "Tazuna, we've been very fortunate. No one has noticed us so far." He added to the bridge builder.

"Nice going," Tazuna congratulated him. They passed under an arch and, when they came out the other side, the ninja were surprised to be welcomed by bright sun and blue skies. There were trees and other plants sprouting up from the water with bright green leaves and the sounds of seagulls filled the air.

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed in joy. The boat soon stopped and everyone began to file out.

"Beauty before age, sensei!" Kiku called as she and Sakura jumped ahead of Kakashi and got out first.

"Cool before perverted!" Naruto yelled.

"Thanks, dobe," Sasuke smirked, stepping out next to Sakura before Naruto got the chance to.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" The blonde growled.

"Skill before clumsiness," Kakashi stated happily, stepping out of the boat before Naruto as well and stood next to Kiku.

"I'm leaving now because I'm cool that way!" Tazuna said, flashing another peace sign before leaving Naruto in the boat alone. Naruto grumbled and got out last.

"Whatever," Naruto muttered, standing next to Sakura too.

"That's as far as I go," The man who steered the boat said to Tazuna and the rest.

"Right," The bridge builder acknowledged. "Thank you for taking such a risk."

"Just be careful," He warned as he started up the motor, crouched down on one knee and left them on the pier.

"Okay, take me to my home, and I mean get me there as fast as you can while keeping me in one piece," Tazuna ordered.

"Right," Kakashi said as every turned and began to walk off the pier, towards the man's home.

_The next ninja they send will defiantly not be just a mere Chunin_, Kakashi thought to himself_. They'll be Jounin. An elite ninja with deadly skills. Oh boy. I need a vacation already._

Naruto once again lead their small team through a forest path as they made their way to Tazuna's house, with Sasuke and Sakura walking behind him side-by-side and Kakashi, Kiku and Tazuna following in a similar way. Of course, Sasuke couldn't be happy with letting Naruto take the lead, so he sped up to prove that he was faster than Naruto was. The latter noticed the challenge and groaned mentally.

_I'm not letting Sasuke get all the glory this time! Believe it!_ He thought with a frown. Naruto ran ahead of Sasuke, taking the lead again and doing a mental victory dance. He looked around carefully, looking for any signs of danger, before grabbing a kunai in his hand and looking over to a certain bush by the side of the road.

"Over there!" The blonde yelled, throwing the kunai into the bush. Everyone looking in question as to why Naruto threw the kunai.

"Naruto…what is it?" Kiku asked quietly.

"Hmmm. It was just a mouse," he stated proudly.

"Mouse? Yeah right! You're so obvious Naruto," Sakura sighed.

"Naruto! Those are kunai knives! They're dangerous," Kakashi scolded as Tazuna growled.

"STOP TRYING TO SCARE ME, YOU SCRUFFY LITTLE DWARF!" Tazuna screamed at the young boy.

"Hey! Is someone hiding over there?" Naruto asked; he was ignoring Tazuna and paying attention to the bush he just threw a dangerous weapon at. "No! They're over there! Over there!" He yelled, throwing another kunai into a different bush.

"Knock it off, idiot!" Sakura told him while hitting him over the head for good measure.

"W-Why'd you do that? Someone really is following us! I mean it!" The blonde assured his friend as he rubbed his head. Kakashi walked to the bush Naruto had thrown the kunai in and saw a white rabbit in shock. Kiku began glaring at the bushes a that, watching carefully.

"A rabbit! Ah!" Naruto cried, running to the small creature. "I'm sorry, little rabbit! I'm sorry!"

"All this fuss over a rodent?" Tazuna asked grumpily. Kiku looked at the rabbit and her eyes narrowed, as well as Kakashi's.

_That is a snow rabbit,_ The Jounin noted._ But the color…they only have white fur during winter. When the days are short and there is little sunlight._

_No way! A white rabbit! They only appear in winter!_ Kiku thought, her suspicions rising. Kakashi looked all over the clearing, Kiku doing the same, for any signs of why the rabbit would be white rather than brown this time of year. It would only mean that the rabbit was kept in captivity or something, which would imply that it wasn't the only thing out of place in this forest.

A man watched them from a near-by tree. He observed what was happening down below with the rabbit, his eyes traveling across the ninja he knew to be from Konohagakure. However, the man's gaze lingered on Kakashi's longest. The stranger jumped from the branch with great speed, descending to the ground faster than you could blink. Kakashi noticed this before he landed and turned his body to the branch fully, shocked out of his mind.

"Look out!" He yelled to his team. Naruto looked up from hugging the small white rabbit to give his sensei a curious glance. Kiku's eyes widened and she ran to the blonde, Pinkette and her dark-haired team mate, whom didn't know what was going on. A ridiculously large blade swung out of a tree and headed in Tazuna's direction, but Kakashi tackled him to the ground while Kiku was taking down Sasuke with her left hand and Naruto with her right and Sakura in the middle. The sword struck a tree and remained in its new location as the man from the branch landed on its hilt, his bare back facing the ninja.

On his arms were white arm warmers with black spots, going from his wrists to his armpit. His feet had the same warmers over black sandals, going to his knees and having gray and black striped trousers tucking into the tops. His chest was bare and a blue scarf strap was secured around his neck and the top of his trousers while the bottom half of his face was covered with bandages and his headband –displaying the symbol for the village hidden in the mist- sat sideways on his head. The hair on his head, which spiked out to the side and sat around the headband, was jet black while his narrow, naturally scowling, eyes were piercing brown.

_That must be…,_Kakashi thought, trailing off at the end.

_Here it is! My chance to shine! Believe it! I'm ready this time! I'm so not going to lose to Sasuke! _Naruto said mentally with a wide smile.

"S-sorry Sakura" Kiku stuttered.

"Are you ok?" Sakura gasped, suddenly something red dripped onto her cheek.

"Kiku?" Naruto called.

"Im ok." Kiku said, standing with a hiss, there on her shoulder was a large cut.

"You're hurt." Sasuke said.

"Now's not the time." Kiku said with a growl, glaring at the intruder.

"Well, well. If it isn't Momochi Zabuza. Rogue ninja from the village hidden in the mist," Kakashi observed nonchalantly.

_Rogue ninja? Whatever! Nothing is gonna stop me! Ready? Go_! Naruto yelled in his mind as he began charging towards Zabuza. Kakashi –not wanting Naruto to harm himself- held his arm out to stop the young boy from going any further. Naruto was surprised by this and looked up to his sensei for an explanation.

"You're in the way," Kakashi stated bluntly. "Get back." He ordered, not taking his eye off of the rogue-nin.

"But why?" Naruto complained.

"He's not like those other ninja. This man is in a whole other league. If he's our opponent, then I'll need this," The older man told Naruto calmly, reaching up to place his hand on his headband. "This could be traitorous."

"Kakashi, the Sharingan eye," Zabuza said, not really to anyone. "Did I get that right?"

_Wha? No way! _Sasuke thought.

_S-sharingan!_ Kiku's eyes widened.

"It's too bad, huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man," The rogue ninja ordered, referring to Tazuna.

_Uh, Sharingan? What's that?_ Naruto asked himself.

_Kakashi-sensei…he's not an Uchiha, is he_? Sakura frowned.

"Now quick! Shield formation! Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight. Everyone be careful!" Kakashi ordered them.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"I taught you four teamwork, now use it!" He barked at his team of young ninja. Zabuza narrowed his eyes as Kakashi lifted the headband over his eye and let it rest on his forehead.

"Sensei?" Sakura asked out loud. His left eye was closed at the moment and had a dark scar running over the lid and onto his cheek, going upwards to his eyebrow. When Kakashi opened his eyes, it was red with a black outline and had three black tomoe surrounding where the pupil would go. Said pupil was still there, but smaller than a normal one.

Kiku's eyes widened at this and her body freezing.

_**Easy Kiku, hey wake up! Kiku snap out of it! KIKU!**_ Karasu yelled at her.

"I'm ready!" The silver-haired team leader stated firmly.

"Hn, there it is," Zabuza said, looking at, but not into, the eye.

_Ah! His eye; what is that_? Naruto asked in his head.

_Look at that…the Sharingan_, Sasuke thought, staring speechlessly into the eye of his sensei.

"Well, looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is truly an honor," Zabuza said to the red-eye man.

"Everyone keeps saying 'Sharingan, Sharingan'. Will someone please tell me what Sharingan is?" Naruto pleaded.

"Sharingan," Sasuke stated. "It's a rare power that resides in the eyes of the one using it. The user if this visual Jutsu, or Dojutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Genjutsu. They can also reflect the attack back on the attacker. The Sharingan is a special, rare form of Dojutsu. However, there's more to the Sharingan than that. A lot more."

"You got it right, boy. But you only scratched the surface," Zabuza told them.

"The…surface?" Naruto repeated in question.

"The Sharingan can also analyze an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail," Zabuza added as the area was covered in a dense fog. "As for you, Jounin. In the assassination unit of the hidden mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight." Kakashi's eyes narrowed as Zabuza took the sword from the tree and moved quickly. The three Genin, standing in a circle around Tazuna, looked around for him as Kakashi remained still. He came up to the right of them all, standing calmly.

"He's over there!" Naruto yelled.

"He's standing on the water," Sasuke added. True enough, Zabuza stood on the water with his left arm in the air and his right in a chakra gathering sign in front of him.

He is building up a huge amount of chakra, Kakashi noticed.

"Kiri Gakure no Jutsu!" Zabuza exclaimed, performing the Jutsu that enveloped the surrounding area in a dense mist, causing anyone within to lose the advantage of sight.

"He vanished," Naruto stated in wonder.

"No, he didn't," Kakashi stated.

"Of course he did!" Naruto claimed.

"He's just hidden in the mist. Don't worry about it though; he won't target you, Naruto. He'll come after me first…," Kakashi informed the rest of his traveling companions, stepping in front of his students and in the direction Zabuza was last seen by him and the rest of them.

"I have a question…who the hell is this guy?" Sakura asked in aggravation.

"Momochi Zabuza, the ex-leader of the Kirigakure secret assassination unit. He's a master of the silent killing technique all assassins prize," Kakashi explained.

"S-S-Silent?" Naruto questioned shakily.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant, without sound or a warning of any kind. It's so fast; you pass from this life without realizing what happened. Even the Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard," Kakashi warned. "Well, if we fail we only lose our lives, after all." He added with a shrug.

"Shut up! I can't think! Everyone just be quiet!" Sakura yelled with her eyes screwed shut. Sasuke glanced worriedly at the pinkette and noticed her legs shaking.

_Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! What should I do?_ She asked her-self desperately. Sakura didn't want to admit it but…she was afraid. Afraid for herself and her teammates. She had never been in a situation like this. She looked to Kiku and noticed her freeking out.

_I will have to help Kiku too, something is not right with her!_ Sakura noticed, Kiku who was trembling.

"Kiku…," Kakashi called out. "Calm down. I'll protect you with my life, all of you. I will not let my comrades die, trust me." All four Genin were surprised by their sensei's words. However Kiku could not move still.

"I wouldn't be so sure about any of you escaping with your lives. So don't be too concerned about scaring them or protecting them," Zabuza mocked from his hiding spot as he placed his hands in a seal. "It's over."

Kakashi turned and saw Zabuza through his Sharingan in just enough time to dodge the swing of the large sword Zabuza carried. He then intercepted the rogue-nin as he went for Kiku, who was not ready to attack. The Genin scattered, Sasuke going to where Kakashi once stood, Naruto going off to the left, Tazuna going backwards and Sakura to the right with Kiku.

"It's ok Kiku, ill help you as much as I can." Sakura whispered to her team-mate.

Fog once again covered the area, but not as thickly this time. It was thick enough to offer some cover, but thin enough to see more than just yourself. Everyone saw that Kakashi had stuck a kunai into Zabuza's stomach and that he was bleeding. However, it was not blood pouring out of the wound, but water. Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, shocking everyone.

"Sensei, behind you!" Naruto warned as the second Zabuza got ready to attack the copy-nin. Kakashi was shocked when the ninja he had stabbed erupted into nothing but water, which fell uselessly to the ground. The second –and now only- Zabuza swung his sword at Kakashi, slicing the ninja in half. However, this Kakashi too erupted into water. Eyes wide, Zabuza looked at the spot Kakashi once stood.

The water clone Jutsu. It can't be! Zabuza thought in shock. Even in the mist…he saw though my illusion and copied it in an instant! A kunai was placed at his neck as he watched the water from the clone fall to the ground next to his own water clone's puddle.

"Don't move," Kakashi threatened daringly as he held the kunai. "Now it's over!" Kakashi and Zabuza remained frozen, the kunai pressed to the latter's throat. Everyone watched them, not daring to move.

"You're finished," Kakashi stated darkly to the man at the end of his kunai. Naruto gulped and took in the situation in joy.

"All right!" He cheered. Sasuke looked at the captured man and smirked, but that smirk was gone when he saw that Sakura was still in the defensive position she was in before. His attention was forced away from his teammate when Zabuza began to chuckle.

"Huh?" Kakashi voiced.

"Finished?" Zabuza echoed, still chuckling at the words. "You really don't get it, do you? You're technique is nothing but a crass imitation. I'll never be defeated by a mere copy-cat ninja like you." He continued to chuckle, amused at Kakashi's expense. "You are full of surprises though. You'd already copied my water clone Jutsu during your touching speech."

"Very skillfully executed," Zabuza complemented. "You made your clone say those words to draw my attention while you hid in the mist, just waiting for me to make my move. Nice try, but I'm not that easy to fool." All at once, yet another Zabuza was behind Kakashi with his sword poised to attack. The Zabuza, Kakashi had captured broke down into nothing but water and Kakashi allowed his eyes to widen.

"Hey, that one was a clone too!" Naruto yelled unhelpfully.

"Gee, thanks for the update, dobe!" Sasuke harshly stated. Kakashi turned and ducked as Zabuza swung the heavy sword, so he didn't even cut a silver hair. He slammed the sword into the ground, switched hands so that he held the hilt still and threw his leg in Kakashi's direction. The kick landed its mark and Kakashi when flying a short distance from the ninja who kicked him.

"Now," Zabuza stated, taking his sword out of the ground. He held it firmly in two hands and ran at a great speed to where Kakashi would land, getting ready to strike. Zabuza, suddenly stopped his action and directed his sight to the frightened Kiku. He chuckled darkly and began charging at her. Sasuke, acting on impulse, swiftly appeared in-front of Kiku and sealed his eyes. Awaiting the pain he knew would come at the contact that sword was inches away from making. Suddenly, Zabuza was kicked hard in the side of his face by none other than Kakashi. Zabuza, shocked at first, quickly recovered and swung his sword down at the silver-haired Jounin. Kakashi acted quickly and leaped into the air. But Zabuza suddenly appeared before him and landed a kick on Kakashi that sent his crashing into the near-by lake.

"Sensei!" Naruto cried. I can't believe he got kicked through the air like that!

"Karasu! What's gotten into you? " Sasuke sharply said to her. But Kiku continued to remain frozen in fear while staring wide-eyed at Zabuza. Sasuke suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and violently shook the girl. "Listen to me! I won't let him hurt you or Naruto! Do you understand?"

"Somethings wrong with her," the pinkette trailed off while her eyes reflecting the worry she felt. Kakashi surfaced from the water, where he had landed, and held his head and arm out of it while the rest of him stayed submerged. Something about the water didn't seem right to him.

"This isn't normal water…it's dense…heavy," He mused. Zabuza came up behind him, standing on the water, and placed his hands in fast signs for another Jutsu.

"Ah, fool," Zabuza commented. "Suiro no Jutsu!"

"No!" Kakashi cried as he turned around quickly. The water around him began to mold itself into a ball, trapping Kakashi inside the ball of water mixed with chakra. Getting someone in took skill and chakra control, but still do-able. Getting out, however, was near impossible.

"Escaping underwater…bad mistake," Zabuza taunted, keeping his hand in the water ball to keep it tight around the copy-nin. "This prison may be made of nothing but water; however, with my chakra reinforcing its strength…it can be compared to steel. It's hard to fight and you can't move. So much for the great Kakashi." He mocked the trapped man. "I'll finish you off later, but first those two little boys will have to be illuminated, the bridge builder killed…and I have a battle planned for the girl…Water clone Jutsu!"

_Oh no! He's even more skilled than I thought_! Kakashi commented, his eyes widening when a clone came up from the water. I just hope that my team are up to the challenge…

"You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja, huh?" Zabuza began. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it doesn't phase you any more, that is when you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly that your profile is entered in my bingo book, then you may have earned the title of 'ninja'." He told them, performing another hand seal. "Whoever calls kids like them a ninja is a joke!"

Once more, Zabuza called the mist to create a cover for him to move without being seen and attack before anyone even notices he's there. Naruto and Sakura freaked out. Sasuke let his head shift, looking for the 'disappearing' mist-nin before he could strike. Oh man, oh man, oh man! He disappeared again! Naruto thought in desperation. Just as Naruto finished his thought, a foot cleared a small path in the mist and hit him in the stomach. The boy when flying back with pain filling his body at an alarming rate. His headband came undone and landed on the ground away from its blonde owner. Zabuza's clone rested its foot heavily on the metal of the ninja headband and looked at the fallen Genin.

"You're just brats," He acknowledged.

"Naruto!" Sakura called in worry.

"Heh. Even you, Karasu. I expected more from you…," The rogue-nin stated. "I was hoping our fight would be more entertaining…"

Kiku, finally fed up with his words, glared at Zabuza. "What the hell are you talking about? And why do you want to fight me so bad?"

"So you don't know…? Heh, that's quite a secret to be kept from you," He mock-scolded.

"Listen!" Kakashi called, interrupting them. "Grab the bridge builder and run! You can't win against him!"

"NO WAY!" Sakura yelled.

"Sakura! Calm down! Just run!" Kakashi told her.

_Run away?_ Sasuke thought. He spared a glance at Sakura, who looked both angry and slightly scared. _Not an option! This guy made Kakashi-sensei look weak, he kicked the dobe and threatened Haruno. No matter how far we run, he'll track us down. This guy can easily get around our defenses and if we're alone he'll easily defeat us._ Sasuke calculated.

"So, I'll take on the kunoichi before you can run. Simple as that," Zabuza stated.

_He better stop threatening her like that in-front of me! _The Uchiha cried in his mind. Kiku, he may act like he hated her but he remembered when they were younger, they were the best of friends..

Kiku ran at the water clone with a short battle cry, not willing to let anyone hurt her teammate. The clone looked at Kiku as she ran at an admirable speed for a Genin, but still nothing compared to what the mist-nin could do. He reached for the sword on his back, but she noticed the movement and took out five shuriken from her pouch. She threw them one-by-one towards the ninja, who growled and hit them from the air with his sword. Not letting this affect her, Kiku leapt up in the air and prepared to land with a kunai in his hand. Zabuza looked up at the fighting Genin and noticed the many flaws in his attack that a normal Genin or Chunin wouldn't have seen.

"Too easy," He muttered as he reached out his hand and took Kiku by the throat as soon as the girl got within range. Kiku was forced to drop the kunai and began to struggle against the vice-like grip the opposing ninja had on her. She didn't need to struggle for long as Zabuza pulled back his arm and launched Kiku across the air. The latter skidded along the ground before stopping and groaning in pain. Kiku turned her head away and screwing her eyes shut.

_W-What's going on…?_ Kiku clutched the palm of her hands to her eyes, that had suddenly felt as though they were on fire. She was confused as to where the pain was coming from and it distracted her from the fight.

_**Kiku concentrait!**_

_It hurts Karasu! It hurts! what is this!_

"He got Kiku!" Naruto yelled in shock. He turned back to the blank-faced criminal and shook in fear.

_So this is what a Jounin is. A true elite ninja. I-I-I gotta g-get away! If I don't…seriously, he'll annihilate me for sure! _Naruto began to crawl away when a searing pain shot through his injured hand and the blonde began to think back to all the times he had competed with his dark-haired teammate. Trying desperately to surpass the Uchiha at everything they did. Still looking at his hand, Naruto frowned sadly. I will not lose to Sasuke and I will prove myself to be worthy of the title ninja! The blonde sat up and looked at his headband, still getting crushed under the foot of Zabuza's water clone.

He refused to give up and let his teammates down. He refused to give up at all! He knew he could not let them down,_Kakashi...Kiku…Sakura…Sasuke…Iruka…they were all counting on him to make something of himself. _Naruto thought back to how he was always gloating about how he'd be the next Hokage…but what had he done to show it…? Kakashi had told them to just run away. But that's not what ninja's do…that's not what Naruto Uzumaki does!

"That's right. I'm a ninja. Believe it," Naruto stated, getting up of the ground and holding himself on his feet. "I swore an oath of pain. I won't runaway!" He finished, charging at Zabuza as fast as he could.

"Huh? Naruto, no!" Kakashi yelled as loudly as he was able to through the prison.

"Naruto! Don't, please!" Sakura begged

"Hn," Zabuza grunted in amusement as the blonde got closer. "He is such a fool." Naruto kept running, singing his battle cry loud and proud. He didn't even manage to land a single hit or even pull out a weapon before he was thrown back. The boy grunted as he hit the ground hard. Sakura's eyes widened and she ran over to her fallen comrade.

"Hey! You okay?" She asked him, resting her hand on his shoulder and forgetting about her eyes for a moment. As he rose shakily from the ground, Sakura caught a glint of metal. In his hand was his headband.

"I got it," Naruto stated happily.

"You did that…for a headband?" Sakura questioned in shock.

"This…it's my right as a ninja to have it!" Naruto cried. He stood up and faced Zabuza. "Hey you…the freaky looking guy with no eyebrows. Put this in your bingo book; 'the ninja that will become the Hokage, ruler of all of Konohagakure…he never backs down'." The blonde said darkly, attaching his headband around his forehead once again. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!"

_Ah, I thought that this runt was all talk. He has got guts,_ Tazuna mused, continuing to watch the fight from the sidelines.

"Naruto…," Sakura whispered in awe.

"You okay, dobe?" Sasuke asked him as he walked over to his teammates.

"Yeah…," Naruto assured them. He then smirked and stood up with determination shining in his ocean-blue eyes.

"You ready Sasuke?" He question the Uchiha, who smirked and walked up to stand side-by-side with the blonde.

"You bet," Sasuke replied. Sakura stared at the two in admiration and decided to let them handle the situation while drawing up a kunai from her pouch and settling herself next to Tazuna. Prepared to fight if necessary.

Zabuza gazed at the two Genin before chuckling. "You guys will never grow up…"

"What?" Naruto exclaimed as his anger began to rise.

"Going to keep 'playing' ninja, eh?" The rogue ninja questioned as he stared at his clenched hand with a mad and deranged look on his face. "When I was about your age…these hands were already dyed red with blood…"

"…Devil Zabuza…," Kakashi muttered more to himself than anyone as he watched the shocked and fearful expressions on his young teammates.

"Ah…So you've heard a little about it," Zabuza said in response to what Kakashi had muttered.

"Long ago...in the Hidden Mist village, also called the Blood Mist village...there was a final obstacle in becoming a ninja…," Kakashi explained at the confused looks his students were sending him.

"Hmmm...you even know about that graduation exam…," Zabuza stated.

"That exam?" Naruto questioned. Zabuza titled his head downward, making the ninja's unable to see his expression. Naruto grew angered when he had suddenly began chuckling.

"What's this graduation exam thing?" Naruto exclaimed. But as Zabuza continued to chuckle, he felt as though he didn't want to know the answer to his question. Sweat beaded down Sakura's forehead and her eyes widened when Zabuza finally lifted his face up to view.

"Fights to the death between the students," Zabuza answered without remorse in his voice and a deranged expression playing on his face. Naruto gasped loudly while Kakashi remained silent, lost in his thoughts.

"Friends who have trained and eaten at the same table are pitted against each other and go at it...," Zabuza continued his explanation. "Until one of them loses his life."

…_Terrible…, _Sakura thought, almost able to picture the horrifying scene of friends against friends.

"Ten years ago, the Hidden Mist graduation exam...was forced to change," Kakashi decided to step in. "This change came after the previous year...when a devil appeared."

"Change?" Sakura echoed, gazing at Zabuza, who appeared to lost in his own thoughts. "What did this devil do?"

"Without pause or hesitation...," Kakashi continued. "...a young boy who was not even a ninja...had killed over a hundred of the students..." Sakura allowed her eyes to widen as she averted her gaze to Zabuza, who had a mad look in his eye.

"That…sure was fun…," The rogue-nin stated as he thought back in time to the blood-shed he had caused. Zabuza suddenly began running at Sasuke. He kneed the Uchiha boy in the stomach, sending him to the ground, before planting his elbow in the same spot. Blood sprouted out of the dark-haired boy's mouth as he cried in pain. Zabuza then pressed his foot on Sasuke's chest and reached for the hilt of his sword. Kakashi got angry at the treatment his pupils were getting. The young Uchiha cried once more in pain as Zabuza continuously applied more and more pressure to his heavily bruised chest.

"Heh, you're nothing," Zabuza chuckled darkly.

"Stop right there!" Naruto ordered, placing his hands ready for his most effective Jutsu.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called. Around fifty clones appeared, surrounding the mist-nin.

"Oh…Kage Bunshins," Zabuza muttered in fake shock. "And there's quite a few of them too." The man added. All of the clones took a kunai in their hand and grinned.

"Here we go!" They yelled in union. Sasuke looked up, still heavy-bodied from the pain, and saw all of the Naruto clones jump into the air to attack Zabuza in almost the same way Naruto had down to him on the day they graduated the academy. All of the clones landed on Zabuza, forming a shell over him, and the closest ones swung kunai in his direction. Zabuza's eyes widened as he threw off all of the clones in one go.

"His skills are too advanced," Tazuna noted as he stood next to Sakura. "He's too powerful for them to handle!" The clones popped away, leaving only the original, Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna free to attack. Tazuna wasn't a ninja, so he was off the attacker list.

"I'm not giving up! I still have this! Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, throwing Sasuke something out of his bag. The Uchiha caught it and smirked.

_So that was his plan_, he thought, putting the weapon to use. _Not bad, Naruto._

"Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!" Sasuke called.

"A shuriken? You'll never touch me with that," Zabuza chuckled. Sasuke, not letting the words dampen his attitude, ran and leaped up in the air, twisting his body before throwing the shuriken with speed, accuracy and power. Zabuza's clone just stood where he was originally, not moving an inch. However, his eyes widened when the weapon sped passed him and traveled in the direction of the real ninja.

"So…you passed the clone and aimed for my real body. Smart," Zabuza noticed without blinking an eye at the approaching weapon. "But not smart enough!" He concluded, catching the shuriken in his hand. He did, however, miss the second shuriken. "A second shuriken in the shadow of the first! His Jutsu!"

"A second shuriken?" Tazuna questioned in amazement at the talent and ability of these so-called Genin. Sakura gazed in awe at the teamwork those two boys were displaying. Everyone watched as the shuriken sped on, right on target. Zabuza had no free hands to catch it, so everyone assumed it would hit. However, he jumped up and it went under him.

"I told you, a shuriken can't touch me!" He boasted. Sasuke didn't seemed phased as he smirked. The second shuriken was covered in smoke and transformed into Naruto carrying a kunai. Naruto grinned. Using the last of his strength, Naruto launched the weapon in his hands at Zabuza, whose eyes widened in shock.

"Huh?" Zabuza asked in shock as the kunai drew closer. Kakashi could only mimic his words as he had never known his students to be so good at fighting, let alone teamwork! There was no way to dodge or catch the kunai heading towards him. Zabuza's eyes widened and he pulled his hand out of the water prison to dodge the kunai, thus letting the Jutsu release Kakashi from its hold on him. Naruto's, kunai, sliced Zabuza's cheek. Now enraged, the mist-nin turned to the flying ninja and growled. Sasuke and Tazuna looked on in shock as he held tightly on the shuriken he had caught previously and launched it at Naruto.

"I'll destroy you!" He yelled, throwing the shuriken. Kakashi, now free, was too late to stop him, but he did manage to kick the swordsman back a few inches. Sasuke, Tazuna, Kakashi and Naruto all watched in shock as the giant shuriken came closer to Naruto's chest…right in his heart. Closing his eyes and waiting for the pain, Sakura looked at her blonde team mate as Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Ugh!" Naruto heard as he landed in the water with something heavier than a shuriken on top of him. He opened his eyes and saw that, somehow, Kiku had managed to reach Naruto before the shuriken did and made the shuriken catch her and not him. It was now digging dangerously far into her right hip as blood oozed out.

"Kiku!" Naruto called in worry.

"Don't look at me like that…I'm useless now…You can…still help," She panted, rolling off of her blonde team mate so she was lying on her stomach next to him. To stop her from sinking into the water any more than she already was, Naruto wrapped his arm under her armpits and placed her arm over his shoulders. He pulled out the shuriken too and threw it into the water. Kakashi, standing on the water with Zabuza doing the same, looked on darkly as blood began pouring from Kiku's wound at an alarming rate, mixing with the clear water she was in. He turned back to Zabuza with both of his eyes open, his wet silver hair sticking to his face and a death promise not so well hidden in his glare. Whether the promise he had told to Kiku earlier was a diversionary tactic or not, he had meant it. Zabuza's eyes widened in shock at seeing the Sharingan like this, for earlier it had only seemed a ninja tool. Now it looked more like a promise of death and it was directed at him.

"Naruto. That was an excellent plan. You've really grown…all of you, am I right?" Kakashi mused.

"The aim of the shadow clone wasn't to defeat Zabuza but to hide the fact that I had transformed into the fuuma shuriken. Of course I didn't think that could beat him, but I thought, if only we could break open that water prison!" Naruto cheered.

It had to be a fluke! These kids act like they completely hate each others guts, but they're the perfect team! This is impossible! Tazuna thought in awe as he went over the previous fight in his mind.

"Don't brag about it too much, dobe. We just lucked out," Sasuke shrugged with a smirk. Naruto grinned widely in return, but was made to look at Sakura when she got slightly heavier.

"Naruto…Sasuke…great job…," Sakura stated with a smile,

"Naruto..." Kiku whispered, her head dropping as she passed out. To stop her from drowning, Naruto lifted her higher. Kiku was no longer trying to hold herself out of the water…she was unconscious and losing blood fast.

"Sensei! She won't last much longer!" Naruto cried out in worry and panic. Sasuke looked over to her and, sure enough, Kiku had her eyes closed and her breathing was shallow.

"Kiku! Wake up!" He yelled as loudly as he could to her, but the girl didn't stir from her forced slumber.

"You need to get Kiku to safety! Get her to Sasuke and use some of the bandages from his pack to stop the bleeding! Do it now, Naruto!" Kakashi ordered. Naruto nodded.

"Not gonna happen," Zabuza said, not letting Naruto pass. "All that happened was that I got distracted and lost control over the water prison, nothing more. I'll still flatten the lot of you."

"Don't flatter yourself," Kakashi told him. "You weren't distracted, you were forced to let go."

"Huh," Zabuza grunted. Now, this is the time when Naruto and Sasuke would have gloated about their awesome victory, but both were still too concerned about their injured teammate in the water. Naruto kicked his legs and moved to swim passed the fighting Jounin, but Zabuza kicked him back. The blonde lost his grip on Kiku as they went flying in opposite directions and Kiku began to sink into the water. Disappearing from view.

"Dobe! Get her out of the water!" Sasuke cried in panic.

"I…I can't see her!" Naruto yelled back, tears coming to his eyes.

"Heh. I'll trap you again and then get the girl. I still have a fight to pick with her," Zabuza mused.

"Your technique worked on me once, but I can assure you that it will not work again," Kakashi promised. "Naruto! Look for her, quickly!"

"Alright!" Naruto called. He began to swim over to where Kiku landed and took a deep breath. Holding the air in his lungs, Naruto ducked his head under water to look.

"Dobe!" He heard Sasuke call as a splash was made in the water. Naruto looked over to where the noise came and saw Sasuke swimming towards him.

"Over here, Sasuke!" Naruto called back, surfacing for air. "We need to find her." Both of the boys nodded and split up, taking breaths before diving fully under the water to find their teammate. No luck was given to them so far, but they carried on.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Kakashi called. The boys broke the surface, took deep breaths and looked at their sensei.

"What?" They asked in union.

"Naruto you need to go back to Tazuna-san and protect him. " Kakashi told them.

"Wha-?" Naruto cried in defiance.

"Just go! I'll find her!" Sasuke yelled back.

"Go, now!" Kakashi ordered. Naruto nodded his head at Sasuke, who nodded back, and jumped from the water and ran to the bridge builder. Kakashi and Zabuza leaped away from each other and the latter preformed hand seals. Kakashi, seeing what he was doing with the Sharingan, let his eyes widen.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke noticed, seeing that Kakashi was using the eyes to their proper use now. The ninja from the mist preformed twenty animal seals for his Jutsu, only to have Kakashi copy them exactly and at the same pace. They began to repeat the seals at the same time, making it sound like a chant or something similar. With the last sign, two pillars of water rose from beneath them and began to sway.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" They said at the same time as the pillars changed shape into that of a dragon. The dragons clashed, creating waves and water to fall. Naruto looked over to where Sasuke continued to search for Kiku, now even more worried about her under that chaos.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura stuttered while frantically looking around her surroundings. Trying desperately to figure out what had happened as the dragons stopped calshing and Zabuza dissapearing. "W-What's going on? Where's Zabuza?"

"Right here…," a voice spoke. Kakashi swiftly turned around to see Zabuza running at him and Sakura. Kakashi outstretched his arms and awaited the attack. But just as Zabuza was ready to swing down his sword and harm Kakashi, two senbon needles lodged themselves in his neck. He fell to the ground, unmoving and not breathing. Team seven than prepared to destroy the new attacker. There was a person who stood in the tree. A mask covered their face and their clothing was loose, making it hard to tell whether this was a man or a women. However, team seven and Tazuna just assumed it was a man from the aura he was letting off.

"Hn, that was a little to easy," The voice of this person seemed feminine; despite the fact everyone previously thought that this Androgyny was male, he/she could be either. Kakashi frowned and jumped towards Zabuza. He placed two fingers on his neck, feeling for a pulse, and found none. Kakashi sighed and moved his hand over Zabuza's mouth to feel for signs of breathing and them put his hand on the rogue-nin's back, where the heart would be, but found no beat.

"No vital signs," He stated with a sigh. The person who threw the senbon bowed slightly to Kakashi.

"Thank you," The person said. "I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time; waiting for this chance. To finally take him down."

"By your mask, I can see that you're a tracker ninja from the village hidden in the mist," Kakashi observed. The ninja straightened up and looked at the sensei of team seven.

"Impressive. You're well informed," The tracker stated, their voice cracking like a boy going though puberty.

"A tracker!" Naruto cried, getting into a defensive position.

"You don't even know what that is, idiot, " Sakura stated "You missed the lesson on it, as usual. Tracker-nins have a special role. Try coming to class sometime. When a rogue ninja breaks from his village,They take all kinds of secrets with them. Trackers are specialty trained to hunt down these ninja and eliminate them."

"You are correct. I am a member of the elite tracking unit of the village hidden in the mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza. Well, I didn't expect any less from a child of the Uchiha family," The ninja congratulated.

_From his size and voice…he must be the same age as Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto. Yet, he's already an elite assassin. He is definitely no ordinary kid, but what is he? _ Kakashi thought, figuring out the gender of the young man. Naruto ran forwards and growled, looking from the dead Zabuza to the hunter and back again a few times. He kept growling, going over the events in his mind. The boy then looked to Sakura, who was smiling as if death was absolute fine and dandy. His fuse blew and he turned back to the hunter.

"What is this? Who do you think you are?" He asked in rage. "Did you hear me?"

"Easy, Naruto. He's not our enemy," Kakashi told the blonde, trying to calm him down a little.

"Huh? That's not the point! Did you see what he did? Just like that, he can go around killing people! It took us all this time to even make Zabuza bleed and he took him down in one move! What does that make us? Are we just little kids?" Naruto cried.

"Calm down," Kakashi said while tenderly placing a hand on Naruto's blonde hair.

"Naruto…in this world there are kids who are younger than you, and yet they are also stronger than me," Kakashi told him, sparing a discrete glance at Sakura, who missed it. But Sasuke caught that glance and gazed at the pinkette who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. The man in the tree used a wind current and disappeared, only to reappear next to the fallen body of Zabuza.

"Your struggle is over…for now. I hope that we shall meet again soon. I must now dispose of the body," The young boy said, gathering Zabuza onto his shoulders.

"Farewell," He bid, leaving in a small tornado.

"He disappeared!" Naruto gasped. Kakashi sighed and pulled his headband back down over his Sharingan eye. Naruto ran over to where the boy once was and looked around.

"He's gone, Naruto. Let it go," Kakashi told him. Naruto punched the ground repeatedly.

"I can't believe that I was practically useless again! Kiku is probably dead and it was my entire fault! Zabuza almost killed her and I wouldn't have been able to stop him! What am I? Just a big failure?" He asked himself, still pounding the earth below him.

"None of that was your fault, Naruto," Sakura promised him softly. The silver-haired sensei of the squad walked over to the orange-clad boy and grabbed his wrist before he could punch the ground again.

"As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy. Save your anger for the next enemy we face," Kakashi told him. He left go of his student and Naruto slumped a little, panting from the energy used up in battle.

"I know," Naruto assured him.

"Kakashi." Sasuke's voice called as he carried a pale and limp looking Kiku.

"Kiku!" Naruto yelled running over, Sasuke set her down and Sakura came over, good thing she learned cpr.

Kiku suddenly coughed loudly, water pooring out of her mouth. She then stood on wobbly legs, "Im ok..."

"We haven't completed our mission yet. We still have to get Tazuna to his bridge," Kakashi told them.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

"Heheh! Sorry I caused all this trouble for ya! But, you can rest at my house when we get there," Tazuna laughed.

"All right. Let's get a move on!" Kakashi ordered. He took three steps passed Naruto and froze. His eyes widened as he fell to the ground.

"Sensei! What happened?" Naruto asked in a panic as everyone gathered around the fallen ninja.

"He just…overexerted…himself. He used…too much…chakra," Kiku said, her breathing beginning to come out in pants.

"What about you, girly? You look half dead!" Tazuna commented, seeing her pale skin and weary eyes.

"She's still losing blood!" Sasuke realized.

"I'm…fine…," She coughed out blood and suddenly lost consciousness. Kiku slumped in Sasuke's arms and he twisted her around and shifted his hands to her knees to carry her on his back

"I'll carry Kiku while Naruto, you have to carry Kakashi-sensei. Tazuna-san, hurry up! We need to get them to your house!" Sasuke ordered, taking command. Naruto would have complained about the order of things, but he was too busy worrying about Kiku to make a fuss.


	4. A Coma?

**Some may be confused on how Naruto or Sasuke acts towards Kiku, All will be reveiled why Sasuke acts a little Ooc around Kiku. I'll tell you one little bit that not only does Naruto like Sakura but he likes Kiku too. She is the only girl aside Hinata who has been nice to him and he started seceretly liking Kiku. Also I forgot to mention at the first chapter, bold letterings like bla is usually Karasu, the crow demon inside of Kiku, talking and the italic bla is usually Kiku thinking. Unless I have specificly say someone else was thinking it of cource.**

* * *

><p><strong>Coma?<strong>

When Kiku awoke she was inside some weird house that she has never seen before. She was tucked in niceley, water placed to the side for her. The room was normal sized, she could see Naruto's bed sheets layzily laying about as the rest were neatly folded and put aside. Sun shown down from the window on the left of her. She tried to streched but groaned in pain.

_What the heck? Where am I?_

_**Your at the bridge builder's house. That wound caused alot of problems and you went into a coma.**_

_A coma? How was I in a freaking Coma?_

_**I just told you kid the hit got you pretty bad. I dont know what else happend I was kinda out of it too from keeping you alive. My concentration was mearly on keeping you alive.**_

_Thank you Karasu... I have to find everyone else and see how long I was out for._

Kiku sat up slowly, vision blurry and feeling dizzy. She stood on wobbly legs, clearly she was very out of it.

"W-where am I? Naruto? Kakashi?" Kiku called, no answer.

"Oh you're awake!" A kind voice called.

Kiku looked to the door at her left as a young woman walked into the room and saw him. Her hair was long, reaching to the bottoms of her shoulder blades, and black while her eyes were the same color. She wore a short-sleeved pink jumper and a dark blue skirt that stopped just below her knees. Her appearance was pretty, but not beautiful.

"Im sorry but, who are you?" Kiku asked confused, using the wall for support.

"Oh, My name is Tsunami, Im Tazuna's daughter. I live with him and my son Inari. Inari! She woke up come say hello." Tsunami called. The door opened as a little boy in the doorway. He wore brown sandals in the style a ninja would have them, dark green dungarees that cut off just below his knees with a pocket on the chest and a crème, wide-and-high-necked, short-sleeved jumper under it. His short brown hair was covered mostly by a white hat, which had two blue stripes around it, and his eyes were black, just like Tsunami's. This kid looked to be around the same age as Konohamaru, meaning eight, and just as annoying as the 'honorable grandson of the honorable third Hokage' too.

"It's about time you woke up. You do know your friends need you right?" The kid said in a snotty tone.

"Inari!" Tsunami scolded.

"Wait they need my help? Where are they? Are they ok?" Kiku asked quickly as she tried to run to the door only to fall forward from being dizzy.

"The man Zabusa had a partner who made his death seem fake so he could rest and come back. Everyone is at the bridge fighting and I am about to go there too! I just need to find help..." Inari said looking downcast.

"I must have been out longer then I thought..." Kiku whispered. She dug into her pocket and took out three chakra pills, quickly replenishing her chakra and getting her ready to go as she guzzled the water down and had gone into the kitchen to grab something to eat, some fruit and bread. She stuffed them into her bag with a quick thank you to Tsunami and getting directions before taking off, ignoring the calls of concern for her health.

_Im coming guys!_

_**Kiku your going to over do it! You just woke up from a coma!**_

_Shut up Karasu, they need me and I wont let them down!_

_**Fine.**_

* * *

><p>"Naruto! Behind you!" Came Sasuke's. Naruto stopped and turn in time to see three senbon heading towards him, but he was too slow to dodge them and they hit him in the chest.<p>

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, seeing his teammate crumple to the ground again.

"Your chance of escaping my house of mirrors…is zero," A voice informed them. The two of them were trapped by surrounding ice mirrors, their enemy was Zabuza's partner Haku. Sakura stayed out to protect Tazuna and Kakashi fought. "That is absolute."

Sasuke ran forwards to where Naruto fell and looked at the orange-wearing knucklehead. He knelt down and check to see if Naruto was actually conscious. Naruto's chest was rising and falling with his labored breaths and his eyes were open, proving that he was alive and awake.

"Naruto, can you get up?" Sasuke asked. Naruto tried to get up.

"Try not to use any more chakra." He warned him. "It's only going to help him now, so don't bother."

"I know, Sasuke. I know," Naruto grunted as he got up slowly. "I can't give up." Naruto panted. He collapsed again and Sasuke sighed, looking at the blonde in worry.

_We can't go on like this. He's blocking every move we make. At this rate, Sakura might be…dead_. _She isn't strong enough to fend for herself._, Sasuke thought as the knot got tighter. _I've got to find a way to outmaneuver him._ He stood up. _My eyes have adjusted to his movements._

"Looking for a counter-attack?" Haku asked as he appeared in one of the mirrors with three senbon in his hand. "I'll save you the trouble." He stated, moving to a different mirror to confuse Sasuke before throwing the needles.

The Uchiha picked up one of the pre-used senbon on the ground and used it to block all of the senbon thrown at him with great speed. His speed was so good, in fact, that you would have missed the movements if you blinked. What? Haku asked himself. Sasuke fell to one knee as the senbon clattered to the ground. He grunted and breathed heavily.

"Get up, loser. We have to team up," Sasuke ground out to the fallen blonde next to him. Naruto took a shaky breath and got up on his knees with much difficulty.

_I'm aiming at his vital spots now…but I can't get a direct hit, _Haku noticed with a sour tone.

"I know what we have to do…believe it," Naruto said. Haku threw hundreds of senbon towards the boys, but Sasuke blocked every single one with what looked like ease, except it took all of his energy not to collapse instead.

_It's not just luck…_, Haku realized. _He's fighting to protect his friends He's so determined. But he can't possibly see the needles coming. _The boy released more senbon and Sasuke pushed an almost fully standing Naruto out of the way so he could deflect them.

"Argh!" The Uchiha cried out. Sasuke looked down when he felt a sharp pain and saw that two senbon were dug firmly into his leg.

_My movements are beyond human speed,_ Haku continued._ And yet, he's tracking them. Somehow. Whatever he's doing, I've got to stop him and I have to do it now._ Haku's form melted further into the mirror until it was no longer visible.

"He disappeared!" Sasuke noticed. "Where'd he go? How could he just vanish like that? Naruto, you'd better not pass out again. Come on, let's go. I can't keep protecting you like this."

"Well then, don't," Naruto grunted in pain. "I never asked did for your help." He told the Uchiha as he fell back.

"Naruto! What about Sakura and Kiku? Don't you want to help them? Come on!" Sasuke yelled as he turned, ready to slap Naruto awake for being so inconsiderate.

"You can't revive him," Haku's voice told him. "He's reached his limits."

"Shut up," He muttered. Sasuke turned and saw Haku in one of the higher mirrors, laughing about Naruto's defeat. He growled and launched the senbon in his hand towards the brunette without really think. Haku easily deflected it and moved.

"Impressive. You have excellent moves," Haku complimented from his new spot in one of the lower mirrors behind Sasuke. "Your attacks are very skilful." Haku launched three more senbon and disappeared again. Sasuke dodged. "But you've reached your limits as well." He said as he appeared in front of Sasuke with more senbon.

"Ah!" Sasuke grunted in shock.

"Motor functions," Haku moved. "Reflexes. Judgment." He moved for each word he said. "Your abilities are weakening, slowly but surely." He told him, not staying put but continuously moving from one mirror into another. "Now, you're finished!"

_Here he comes_, Sasuke thoughts, getting ready for the attack. '_Stay calm. Focus. Concentrate. See everything._ His eyes widened as everything seemed to slow down and become clearer. Sasuke quickly grabbed Naruto under his arm and jumped, just a split-second before the senbon hit the ground where he and Naruto once were.

He saw every move, Haku noticed as he jumped back into his ice mirror after throwing the needles. _But…there's no way he could do that._

Haku looked over at Sasuke, who was standing. He grunted and dropped Naruto, panting from the effort he just exerted by carrying Naruto away from the danger. When he looked up, his eyes were no longer onyx, but crimson red. He had black outlines in both eyes and two black tomoe surrounding where the pupil would go in his right eye, but only one in his left. The pupil was still there, but smaller than a normal one. Sasuke had just developed the Sharingan.

"Impossible," Haku muttered when he saw the eyes. "Those eyes…he has the Sharingan. You're…"

"It's not complete, but I can see though his deceptions," Sasuke whispered to himself.

"So, he too has a Kekkei Genkai. Even though his is not complete, to uncover it in the midst of a lethal attack, is amazing." Haku held his senbon tighter.

_Because of that, I won't be able to fight much longer. My Jutsu used a tremendous amount of chakra. And his swift movements also take energy. There's no doubt that the longer we fight, the more he will use the Sharingan to perceive my moves. Even now…his eyes are tracking me. I can't target him directly, he'd block it. So I'll have to throw him off guard…by attacking his partner. Then I'll destroy him._ Haku thought as he got out of his mirror and aimed directly at Naruto, who was still limp on the ground.

_What?_ Sasuke asked, see the attack._ I've got to stop him!_

Naruto groaned and shifted in his sleep before he opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder. It all came back to him. The fight, him telling Sasuke to basically get lost before falling unconscious and…Sakura could be seriously hurt now. He looked at the scene through hazy vision. From what Naruto could see, Sasuke was standing in front of him with Haku on the ground in a heap.

"You always…get in the way, Naruto," Sasuke panted in pain. "It never fails." Naruto sat up and grinned.

"Ha! You beat him, Sasuke!" He congratulated, but the grin fell off of his face when he saw Sasuke shaking and covered in more senbon that he thought was humanly possible. Naruto froze in shock when Sasuke turned around, a trail of blood running from the corner of his mouth and scratches all over his cheeks and forehead.

"Heh…you should see…the look on your face," Sasuke said, pausing to take breaths. "You…You look like a total…loser." He concluded. Naruto's face didn't change and he sat up more to see Sasuke better.

"Wait…why did you…save me?" Naruto asked slowly, trying to think of the words between his heavy breaths. "Why did you do it?"

"I don't know why. I just did," He stated. Sasuke remembered all the times he'd teased Naruto and about Naruto proclaiming his dream during the introduction and it hit him. "You…I hated you."

"Then why?" Naruto asked, getting up onto his feet. "It doesn't make any sense. Why did you…protect me?" He clenched his fist and growled as Sasuke smirked. "I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for you to save me!"

"I don't know. My body just moved. There was no time to think. All I know is, that if I could change what happened…or if it was Sakura instead of you…I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. You two aren't just my team mates any more…but I don't know how to describe you." He finished as he fell backwards. "Loser." Sasuke grunted as he fell. Naruto sprung forwards and caught him before he hit the floor.

"Sasuke!" He called. Sasuke looked up at him with a dazed look and a small frown.

"Hey…he's still out there," Sasuke told him. "My brother. I promised myself…I'd stay…alive…until…I'd killed him" He panted. "Naruto, don't let your dream…die…," He ended as his body went limp.

Naruto looked down at Sasuke's dead body and something inside of him began to stir as he held the limp Uchiha tighter without realizing it. Haku, meanwhile, was getting up and going over the previous battle.

_He found…, _Haku thought._ He found a strength he didn't realize he had until that moment. Why? Because of the two people who were precious to him. To save them both, even if it meant his own life._ _He rushed to save his friend, even when he knew for sure that it was just a trap, Haku got up and bowed to the dead body of Uchiha Sasuke. He was a true ninja worthy of honor._

"Sasuke…," Haku heard Naruto whisper. He straightened himself and returned to the cold boy he was when he killed Sasuke.

"Is this the fist time you have seen a true friend die in battle?" Haku asked. "This is what it truly means to be a ninja." He stated a he sank into the mirror behind him.

"Shut up," Naruto demanded as he set down Sasuke's body. "I…I hated you too Sasuke…and yet…you'll pay for this." He threatened as he unknowingly gathered his chakra and caused smoke to rise in a circle around him and Sasuke. The smoke became red chakra spiraling upwards from the ground around them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kiku we are almost there! I can feal it.<strong>_

_I know I can too._

Kiku ran with all her might until she came to a bridge, she could see Naruto and Sasuke in a ring of mirrors. As she went to run into it she heard Sakura scream, A clone of Zabuza attacking.

"Sakura!" Kiku yelled before running at Sakura and Tazuna. She made haste in pulling out a kunai, slashing at the clone but it moved and laughed.

"Ahh and the prodigy shows up! Tell me did you like your little coma? I had my sword dipped with special poison. Im suprised you survived it and are still standing." Zabuza laughed.

"It takes more then your weak moves to kill me ugly." Kiku growled at him, standing infront of Sakura.

"Weak? We shall see about that!" The clone then lunged at Kiku and Kiku grinned maniacly.

"You may be just a clone but I know the real you will die today!" Kiku yelled at it before lunging. She dodged the large sword as it swong towards her dangerously close. She glared at the clone as she rolled under the swing and sliced the clones feat making it poof into water.

"Dont worry Sakura, Tazuana. I wont let them touch you." Kiku said in a hard tone.

"Kiku, you were in a coma! You shouldn't be hear!" Sakura said in worry.

"Quiet." Kiku commanded. "Whats this strange aura im fealing?"

* * *

><p>"Hmm?" Haku asked him shock. Naruto's body shook as the chakra became more violent. He looked up and his eyes had become red with slits for pupils, his whiskers deeper and more prominent and his fangs sharper as his hair became spikier.<p>

"I'm gonna kill you," Naruto stated darkly, sounding as if two people were talking at once. The chakra spread close to the mirrors.

"What is this chakra?" Haku wondered. "Chakra cannot be seen, and yet it's clearly visible. It's something ghastly. I can feel the wrath. The bloodlust, like evil itself."

The chakra formed the shape of a fox's head as the senbon dropped out of Naruto's skin and all of his wounds healed. His nails grew longer and sharper too.

"His hand is healing…and changing," Haku said in fear. "This boy…what is he?"

Naruto looked towards Haku and the bloodlust rolled off of him in waves, causing the masked boy to all but choke on the killing intent and tension in the air.

From where he was, Kakashi felt the demonic aura in great tsunamis coming from where Naruto was.

_Is Zabuza creating this?_ Kakashi wondered. Zabuza even stopped and his eyes widened when he saw the red and orange chakra in the sky.

_What is this energy?_ Zabuza wondered to himself. _Something foul and utterly evil. Kakashi perhaps? No, it's too powerful even for him. Who is it coming from?_

The chakra in the shape of a fox's head roared.

Kakashi's eyes widened. _He's not…I know this chakra. There's no way. It's impossible…Naruto! This puts everyone in danger. Now, of all times, the seal has broken. I have to stop it._

* * *

><p><em>Its Naruto!<em>

_**Its not just Naruto, its the ninetailed fox inside!**_

"Sakura! Watch over Tazuna I have to get to Naruto!" Kiku yelled before running away into the mis.

The chakra disappeared and Naruto's features became even more demonic as he looked at Haku. The latter held his senbon, knowing that they'd be useless now but liking to have some form of defense. Naruto ran at him like an animal, on all fours.

Naruto roared as his demonic features became more prominent and his bloodlust rose. Sasuke's limp form behind him remained still, other than a small rustle in his shirt from the overwhelming chakra. Haku watched Naruto though calculating eyes, not letting his concern of this new form take-over his thoughts and logical actions.

_The bloodlust in his eyes…, _Haku thought, shielding his masked face from the gathering dust subconsciously_. …this is no longer a child. _He continued, sensing the demonic aura. Naruto growled again leapt towards the mirror Haku was in.

Reacting upon pure instinct, Haku sent three senbon in Naruto's direction, but they were easily thwarted by the orange chakra that had once subsided, but now came back to protect the one who summoned it. Using speed no one knew he possessed, Naruto continued with his charge, but Haku moved to a different mirror. Looking around like a confused animal trapped in a cage with no way out in sight, Naruto tried to find Haku once again. All around him was some sort of pulsing wind current with the same pull and feel as the orange chakra, only it wasn't visible to the human eye. He growled and looked around him.

His chakra grows stronger every second, Haku noticed with alarm. His reflection appeared in every mirror, all holding senbon. I must strike now. He concluded, throwing all of the senbon. They moved for Naruto's position, and the blonde turned to see the ones from behind him. Each needle hit its intended target. However, all Naruto did was roar and stand straight for the senbon to fly out from his flesh and a wave of orange chakra healed the wounds. The orange chakra subsided again and Naruto grunted loudly.

Not wasting any time, Naruto leapt up and punched one of the ice mirrors, causing it to shatter. Haku's reflection jumped out, from one of the many shards, with a kunai, heading for Naruto. He held the weapon tightly, confident that he would hit his target. Unfortunately for him, Naruto spun away too fast, landing on his feet and knuckles. He looked at the brunette and glared.

"Impossible," Haku muttered with something akin to fear in his voice. He moved back to go inside another mirror, but was caught from the left by a tan hand, connected to an orange-covered sleeve. "Those eyes…!" He whispered as he turned to face the one who caught him. Naruto's orange chakra expanded and sent waves of powerful winds with it.

* * *

><p>"Could it be?" Kakashi asked himself quietly. "Has the seal truly been broken? No. It's been loosened, and a shiver of the Kyuubi's chakra has slipped through. But the seal still holds." He assured himself. Kakashi opened one of his vest's pockets and pulled out a scroll, unwinding it and cutting his thumb. He then smeared a line of his blood though the middle of the scroll. "Zabuza, I don't mean to put an end to your fun, but how about we end this now? Come on, we're both busy people." He asked, swinging his scroll around. Kakashi caught the scroll, which wrapped up in the air, and held it in his thumbs as he preformed the tiger seal.<p>

"Tempting," Zabuza said from the mist. "But show me how you intend to back up those words, Kakashi!"

* * *

><p>Haku held his free hand in a tiger seal, trying to hold his ice mirror Jutsu together as the chakra cracked them. The energy surrounding him and Naruto became so thick, it was almost suffocating him. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't seen affected by Haku's attempts on his life earlier or the obvious attempt to keep together his Jutsu.<p>

_I can't…this energy…is too strong!_ Haku managed though his muddled thoughts. Naruto's chakra covered fist clenched and his slowly drew it back before releasing it in one powerful blow to Haku's face. The latter was thrown back be the force, right though one of his mirrors. He landed on the ground outside the dome and rolled to a stop.

Now with no concentration or chakra to hold them together, the ice mirrors cracked, glowed once more and finally gave out, shattering into thousands of glass-like shards. The shards fell around Naruto's hunched form as Haku's mask cracked more than before. Haku rose slowly to his feet as his Kekkei Genkai was broken for the first time.

Still growling, Naruto strung forwards, in Haku's direction, to for fill his promise of an early demise. The brunette just stood there as his mask cracked, fully prepared to meet his impending doom. He closed his eyes as the world seemed to move slower than ever before, stretching out the few seconds between his failure and his death.

_Zabuza, I am no match for this boy,_ He thought with regret. Half of his face was revealed as part of the mask fell away. Naruto leapt into the air, poised for his killing strike.

_Master…,_ Haku mourned as the rest of the mask fell away, revealing a trail of blood coming from the corner of his mouth and the rest of his face. _I have failed._

Naruto drew closer, pulling back his fist.

Birds in the distant forest fled.

The second half of the mask hit the ground.

A slip of purple moved in front of Haku.

The fist stopped.

Naruto stood, panting as his fist halted inches away from a fair, feminine face, framed by purple hair. He drew in deep breaths, never holding them for long as he craved more oxygen. Kiku remained calm as she looked at the demonically changed boy she had grown to know her friend, although her mind was screaming at her to run. Haku froze behind the girl, seeing her hair fly up as her own, dark chakra surrounded her. He couldn't see her expression, but he knew it was calm and collected. She had saved him.

"Kiku…," Naruto muttered as his face and body drew back from the evil mask and adopted his normal look. "Wh…Why?" He croaked.

"Its ok... Naruto," Kiku said tiredly... She had used the rest of her energy up. She never had correctly rested before she left and it caught up to her again, Chakra depleted again. Her lip seemed to quiver for a moment before she fell back into Haku. The boy caught her on instinct.

"Don't touch her!" Naruto commanded. Haku paid no attention to him as he looked at Kiku's face with a small, Confusion across his face.

"So, that guy in the woods…that was you?" Naruto asked, a slip of anger sinking into his tone as he remembered the person collecting herbs. Haku neither answered nor looked up at Naruto as he continued to stare at the girl, wondering why she had saved him. Eventually, he held Kiku in one arm and looked up at Naruto.

"Why do you not strike?" Haku asked, breaking him from his thought of the girl resting in the crook of his arm. "Did you not just vow to avenge your comrade's death by killing me? Or was that vow just empty words?"

Naruto looked back towards Sasuke, and then at Kiku. She too looked as pale as death, but her breathing was steady. Not a single slip of air passed Sasuke's lip, though. Whether in or out, never did Naruto expect to see a breath from the last Konoha-loyal Uchiha. He growled and let go of his fist, causing Haku to stumble back and fall to the ground from the punch his face received, Naruto quickly snatched Kiku out of Haku's arms and placed her tenderly down beside him.

Haku pulled himself onto his hands and knees and he coughed a small trail of blood from his mouth. Naruto panted slightly, believing that to be enough. As he was, not controlled by the red chakra or the beast inside of him, he was too good-hearted to kill Haku. Even maiming him for life would be too much for Naruto to accomplish.

"That won't be enough," Haku said almost mockingly as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "You're holding back. If that's all the strength you can put into it, then you shall never for fill your vow. Perhaps he didn't mean as much to you as you pretend." He jeered with a serious tone.

Naruto remembered two things people said to him. As it turned out, they were the same person.

"Is there…someone who's precious to you?" Haku questioned.

"I fight for someone who is precious to me. I live for him, and I face death for him, so that his dream may become reality." The masked boy claimed.

"To show mercy to those who oppose you…," Haku began, standing up from the ground. "To allow his enemies to live, when you could strike them down. This is not compassion. It is a betrayal of your life's very purpose. For what reason do you exist, then? You are then of use to no one. Your life has no meaning. It is mere existence. Day after day of painful struggle, all for nothing."

"Yeah? Well…speak for yourself!" Naruto yelled, slightly unsure of his own retort.

"Are you really that blind, little one? I am speaking of myself. This day has shown that I am no longer of any use to Zabuza," Haku smiled. While his eyes began to lose it's shine and turn dull.

"Zabuza," Naruto echoed. "Why that guy, anyway? To devote your life to a skunk who doesn't know the meaning of honor. If he's the only thing that matters to you…man, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

"There were once others who mattered to me. Long ago. My father…and my mother. I was born in the land of water, in a small village where the snow lay deep in the winter. My parents were farmers and we were very poor. It was hard, but we were content. We had dreams. We were happy once. But then, because of something that happened long before I was even born, everything changed," Haku said, his tone darkening.

"Wh-what do you mean? What was it? What happened?" Naruto prompted curiously.

"It wasn't my doing. It is in the blood," Haku riddled.

"Blood?" Naruto copied. "So what was it? You said that something happened that changed everything!"

"It was…my father who changed. He killed my mother and almost killed me," The boy informed him solemnly. Naruto gasped. "After years of suffering the horrors of civil war, the people of my land had come to hate and fear anyone who carried the Kekkei Genkai in their blood."

"Kekkei Genkai?" The blonde repeated.

"The advanced bloodline trait of a clan. Because of their abilities, the clans were used as mercenaries. They fought in many battles and were much feared. But when the wars were over, they were despised and shunned by the people, who feared their powers would only bring more war…and misfortune. So they went into hiding, and denied the bloodline trait that flowed in their veins, concealing their unique abilities and knowing that to reveal them meant death. If you searched Haruno's and the Uchiha's memories, you would find it there. The cruelty of people. Their fear of things they don't understand."

"My mother had done well in concealing her abilities, and even fell in love with a simple farmer. They were married and after that my mother believed that she would lead a peaceful, ordinary life to the very end of her days."

_"Haha! Ha! Okaa-chan! Look what I can do!" A young Haku said gleefully as he manipulated the water of melted snow. His mother dropped the cloth she was carrying in shock. "Look what I made!" He exclaimed, standing so she could see it better. "Isn't it beautiful?"_

_"NO!" His mother shrieked. She grabbed his arm, causing the water to fall to the ground._

_"You must never do that! Do you hear me? NEVER!" Haku was dragged to the house, where his mother shook him. "You wicked, wicked child!"_

_"Okaa-chan! What is it?" Haku asked, wondering what it was that he did wrong. "Stop! Okaa-chan-!" He was cut off when his mother slapped him around the face, hard. She then realized what she did and began to cry._

_"Oh! I'm sorry," She sobbed. "Sorry, my darling. I'm sorry." She repeated over and over. Neither noticed the man standing not too far away with a glare directed at both of them._

"My father had seen," Haku said. "Now he knew our secret, my mother's and mine."

_A plate smashed as the sounds of a painful struggle were heard throughout the small hut Haku and his parents resided in. Haku backed away from his father, who was next to the blooded body of his beloved mother. He crawled further away, as his father drew nearer with a plank of blood-stained wood. Three other men stood behind him as he raised the wood to hit Haku. A rabbit hopped away as Haku stumbled mutely out of his home, his clothing torn and his hair a mess. He fell to the ground and flinched and sobbed as the cold snow bit at his skin when it fell from above. His eyes were wide, not wanting to look behind him, for back were he came was the worst sight he had ever seen. The quaint hut his parents and he once lived was stuck through with huge, sharp icicles, all of them having ripped through at least one of the men in the hut on their way through._

"When at last I was myself again, I was no longer myself. My father and mother were gone, but knew that something else had been taken from me in the process. Something even more important, and that is when I truly despaired," Haku stated morbidly.

"More important that your mother and father?" Naruto asked non-believingly. "What?"

"My purpose," Haku informed. "In all the world, there was no longer a person who needed me. I was…unnecessary." He claimed. Naruto's eyes widened.

_Just like me_, Naruto recognized.

"Why is it you're so determined to be Hokage? Because you want all eyes in your village to look at you and recognize you as a great ninja. You see, it is only through the eyes of others that our little lives have any significance. When there is no one who sees you, or will even look at you, it is as if you don't exist," He mused.

_No one looked at me…not until…Iruka..._Naruto attempted to sort through his own musings as he listened to Haku's heart-tugging speech.

"Then Zabuza came and he looked at me, and his eyes were not full of hate or fear. He did not shun me for my strangeness. Indeed, my special powers were just what he wanted. He made me necessary again."

_"Huh. Little kid like you. With no one to look after you, you'll die a beggar's death out here," Zabuza taunted._

_"Hey, know what? Your eyes remind me of mine," Haku smiled._

_"Well, little one. Will you stay here and die, or come with me and be of some use? Will you serve me and submit to my will of all things?" The older man asked. After a moment of silence Haku nodded. "Your strengths and abilities belong to me, from this day forward."_

_Haku looked at the man and, without taking his eyes away, got up from the ground and walked in his direction. Zabuza greatly over-shadowed him, but they seemed to be destined to work together._

_"Let us go then," He said, placing a hand atop of Haku's head. Zabuza removed his hand and placed it on Haku's shoulder, steering him from the bridge._

Naruto looked at Haku as the older boy seemed to be caught in a memory or daydream.

"I have failed you, Zabuza," Haku muttered, taking his gaze away. "I am like a weapon that has been broken and is of no further use." He looked up and walked towards Naruto, who backed away slightly out of caution. Haku stopped and took a deep breath.

"What are you-?" Naruto began, but he was cut off.

"Naruto…kill me."

* * *

><p>Kakashi, still holding his scroll, began to perform more hand seals, never letting the scroll fall. He pressed the scroll to the ground, creating a small dent, and called out the name of his Jutsu. The kanji on the scroll flowed out of each end and into the ground, since the Jutsu was a ground style, and Kakashi called 'summoning'.<p>

"It's time to end this," Kakashi called out to his unseen opponent. Zabuza chuckled from somewhere in the mist, deciding Kakashi's Jutsu to be futile.

"I don't know why you bother," Zabuza taunted. "What use is your Jutsu if you can't even find me? But I can find you." He held his right hand in the symbol for tiger. "Blindly falling into my trap. You really do disappoint me, Kakashi. However, I think you're right. It is time to end this."

As Zabuza was about to perform his Jutsu, his eyes widened and he lifted his foot in just enough time to avoid being bitten by a headband wearing dog that came up from the ground. It growled when it missed, but Zabuza wasn't quick enough to dodge the bite to his other leg. A group of more dogs sprung up from the ground and attacked him from all sides.

Kakashi lifted his right hand from the scroll, then the left and stood up, leaving the scroll on the ground. He straightened his posture as much as he could without ruining his usual 'lazy' façade, and faced the direction Zabuza's yell came from. Inwardly smirking, Kakashi gloated.

"I realized that if I couldn't see you, then I'd have to smell you out," He told the rogue-nin. "That was a summoning Jutsu. I was calling forth my ninken, and they can track a scent anywhere."

Zabuza stood, being covered by dogs. A large one on his back, biting his shoulder, was probably bigger than him. Other, smaller dogs, took his arms, legs, upper body and second shoulder. No two dogs were the same size and all had a headband for the village hidden in the leaves—aka, Konoha—attached to them somewhere.

"When you attacked me, I let you get passed my guard. I wanted you to cut me. You see, it was the smell of my blood on your blade that lead them to you. Surprised? Looks like I wasn't the only one who was too blind to notice the obvious. Ha, falling into my trap…you disappoint me, Zabuza," He jeered.

"Grrrrrrrr, I'll still have you're head, Kakashi," Zabuza promised. Kakashi ignored him and looked around.

"Ah! It looks like the mist is finally clearing. And do you want to know what I see? Your death," Kakashi assured him.

"Talk, talk. Do you want to talk me to death?" His opponent grunted, being a sore loser. Well, you'd be sore too if you had dogs knowing on your body and a future of darkness in the lowest rings of hell to look forward to.

"In a way…yes," Kakashi replied with a mocking smile. "Right now my hounds are just playing with you. Just one word from me and they'll tear you apart. Poor Zabuza. See where your ambitions got you?"

"In a fight with a filthy mutt summoner?" Zabuza asked humorlessly.

"Not quite. You were always pushing things too far. You're failed assassination attempt on the Mizukage forced you to flee with the few followers you had left. Now, you're crazy enough to try it again. To try it, you needed money. To get that money, you stooped so low as to become a hired thug of a swine like Gato."

"Hn," He replied, acting nonchalantly.

"Fine. Enough talk. Time to finish what I started, but it wont be with Sharingan, or imitations of other ninja's tricks. No. it's time you saw my own Jutsu!" Kakashi declared, performing the sign for monkey. After two more signs, his palm was facing up and blue lightening began to form in his hand. "Chidori!" He called.

"Chakra so strong that it's visible!" Zabuza gasped in shock. He holds it in his hand!

"I won't allow you to kill Tazuna," Kakashi stated. "He's a brave man with a noble dream. The bridge he's building hold all the hope for this land and it's people. You're like a disease. By attacking one, you affect all. You don't care. That is not the way of a shinobi."

"You're right," Zabuza admitted. "I don't care! These useless little people and their pathetic dreams…why should they matter to me? I have a dream of my own."

"But to have a dream, you need to have a future. You don't," Kakashi said as his gathering of chakra grew. "Your future's all used up, Zabuza."

* * *

><p>"Go on," Haku prompted. "Strike. Kill me." He ordered. Naruto stood there, looking from Haku to Kiku and Sasuke, both not moving. "Why do you hesitate?"<p>

"Argh!" Naruto growled, backing up from Haku. "That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard! I mean, he treats you like a slave and nothing more. You're a human being, not a weapon or a tool. How can you care about someone like that?" He demanded to know.

"For that very reason," Haku replied.

"Huh?" The blonde slipped, confusion showing on his previously angry face.

"Does that…seem so strange to you?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. A little," Naruto answered honestly.

"When he found me, I was without a purpose or reason for living. Zabuza gave me both," Haku told him. "But now, my usefulness is over. The only thing that gave my life meaning is gone. I am a broken tool, a blunted weapon, of no use to anyone." He looked up at Naruto. "Go on, Naruto. Do it. For both of our sakes. Do it. Quickly."

* * *

><p>Inari ran, his breaths coming in short pants. He didn't stop, even when his lungs burned for an oxygen break. He knew that to stop would be to lose valuable time; time which no one had to spare. His little legs pushed. Left, right, left, right. That was his mantra.<p>

"The others are…are out there…risking their lives while the…while the rest of us do…n…nothing," He panted. Taking one deep breath, but not halting, he sped up. "We've…we've g…gotta fight too!"

He ran and ran until he reached a small house, similar to his own but with less rooms and a different view. Once there, Inari ran up the steps, stumbling a little on the third one and having to climb it again. He gained his lost balance and stepped up to the front door, before proceeding to pound it with his fist.

"Gichi-ojii-san! Gichi-ojii-san!" Inari called through the door. "You have to hurry! Come to the bridge with me! We don't have time. He don't have to hide any longer. If we all fight together, we can finally take Gato down. I know we can!" He proclaimed.

Inari, not getting a respond, reached out for the silver handle. Closer he came to it until it was within grasping distance. However, before he could take the cold metal handle into his grasp, the door locked. He gasped and pulled back his hand, waiting for an explanation of some kind to come thought the door from his 'uncle'.

"No, Inari. I've given up fighting. Fighting is for heroes. The ones like your father. You see what good it did him? Isn't one dead hero enough? What will fighting bring us, except more fallen heroes and more regrets?" Gichi asked through the door, not wanting to open it. Inari clenched his teeth and his hands.

"But…Gichi-ojii-san-!"

"Inari, I'm sorry. My heart is already full of enough regrets…to last me a lifetime. I'm truly sorry," He apologized.

"Well, I don't want to live a life of regrets either! And…and that's why we all gotta fight! I know you care about everyone in the village, Gichi-ojii-san, and so do I! You and Okaa-san and Obaa-san and everyone! That's why we have to fight!" The door stayed locked. "All my life, I've been a coward. But now I know that crying and running away from things we're afraid of, doesn't make them go away!"

He gave up on Gichi when no answer came. Instead, Inari turned and ran down the stairs, skipping over the third one. Running onwards to find someone, anyone, who would help him, Inari left the house behind, thinking nothing on his grandfather's fear-filled friend.

Inside the house, Gichi stood with his back to the door. He shook with guilt, but was too scared to leave. The door remained locked as he listened to the sounds of Inari's feet jumping the third step of his house and running away.

"Hurry! Come to the bridge!" He heard Inari's voice echo though the streets, filling him to the top with more guilt than he could handle.

"Our little Inari has become a man," An old woman, presumably his wife, stated as she knitted. "And you, dear? Are you sure that you want to send him off, all on his own?" She asked. Gichi said nothing, but thought over what she had said, coupled with Inari's previous proclamation.

"Is anyone there?" Inari called as he knocked on another door. No answer came so he moved on to the next house. "Hello? Come to the bridge with me and fight!" He said as he knocked harder. "What'll I do now?" He panted as he turned from the door. "No one will even open their doors to listen to me!

_"Calling you a coward was pretty mean, I guess. Anyway, it's not true, you know." Naruto ruffled Inari's hair. "You are really brave."_

_Well then…if no one else will help_, Inari thought. He plastered a frown to his face as he turned and ran for the bridge. Will his legs to move at the fastest speed they could, he was silently wishing he could move as fast as Naruto or at least be able to put chakra into his legs.

* * *

><p>"Go on, finish it. Kill me," Haku ordered of the blonde ninja, who backed away from the boy. "Why? Why do you still hesitate? I thought you wanted to be a mighty warrior." He said softly as Naruto growled.<p>

"That's not what it's all about! Do you really believe that's all there is to it; just fighting and killing till there's only one man left standing?" Naruto asked of the calm brunette. "There's a lot more to being a shinobi than that. And there are other ways to show your strength than by beating someone in battle."

"I've had a feeling all along. From the first moment we met, or at least when we met in the woods. We are a lot alike," Haku stated. Naruto's eyes widened at the implication. "I'm sure you know what I mean. I am only sorry that it is your hand that must be tainted with my unworthy blood."

"You sure about this?" Naruto asked. "And…you're positive that it's the only way?"

"Yes," Haku confirmed with a nod. Naruto clenched his hands, teeth and eyes before calming enough to speak.

"The weird thing is, that I think if we met in a different time and place, maybe we could have been friends," He stated morbidly. Naruto's eyes shot open, determined and with the full intention of killing Haku. He took a kunai and began running forwards. Everything moved slow for Haku again, as it would have for anyone about to experience death.

"Yes," Haku whispered. "That's right. Hold fast to your dreams."

"This is for Sasuke!" Naruto stated. "Because he also had a dream!" He called out and moved quickly, poising the kunai to strike Haku's heart as Haku stood there.

_Thank you, Naruto. Strike true _Haku thought as he closed his eyes and waited for his end.

* * *

><p>"At last. I think this blasted fog is lifting," Tazuna muttered as he stood behind Sakura.<p>

"Tazuna.. I cant hear them anymore... Sasuke, Naruto, and Kiku. Their all quiet... please come with me to find them!" Sakura begged, Tazuna looked at her tear filled eyes and nodded and the two set off.

* * *

><p>Naruto's cry continued as Haku felt a pulse in the air and snapped open his eyes in shock. As Naruto moved the kunai forwards, Haku pushed the blonde's arm to the side and dodged the weapon. Naruto gasped as Haku began lifting his arm.<p>

"Sorry, Naruto," Haku said calmly. "Change of plan." Still holding Naruto's arm with one hand Haku used his other hand to perform one-handed seals. Whoever said boys can't multi-task, obviously never met Haku.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Naruto yelled, struggling to get free. Haku's rapid hand signs halted in tiger and narrowing his eyes again and looking in the direction his master and Kakashi were fighting.

"I'm not ready to die just yet," Haku informed him. Leaving only smoke to prove he had moved at all, Haku leapt up and ran quickly in the direction of Zabuza._ I fear that if I let you go, you'll only disappear again. But I also do not want to put you in danger, _He thought as he continued to run.

Kakashi charged at Zabuza with his chakra-filled hand ready to thrust it in his enemy's direction to kill the one known as the rogue demon of the hidden mist village. The dogs held tightly to Zabuza, not giving him a chance to move before it was too late.

"Is this the end?" Zabuza asked as Kakashi pushed his hand through flesh.

Blood splattered across Zabuza's face and the pulse of releasing energy from the attack sent a powerful wave of air across the bridge.

A two ice mirrors, used for transportation, the summoning scroll, Kakashi's body, Zabuza's body and the ground surrounding them were all covered in the crimson red liquid that was unmistakable blood. The blood didn't belong to Zabuza though. Kakashi's attack had hit Haku. The boy stood with his eyes wide and Kakashi's arm through his stomach, knowing that he couldn't survive a hit like that. No one made a sound, or even dared to breath. Kakashi and Zabuza stood with their eyes wide in shock.

As the chakra around Kakashi's had subsided, Haku's face fell forwards and he coughed up too much blood to be healthy. Then again, that hold in his chest probably isn't all that healthy to have either. Haku frowned and grabbed Kakashi's arm, pulling it out of his chest and twisting it.

"Za…bu…za…," Haku ground out in pain. Kakashi's eyes widened further as he watched the boy who was supposed to be dead twist his arm.

"So, my future is all used up, huh?" Zabuza chuckled. "Wrong again, Kakashi.

* * *

><p>"Don't be ridiculous. You are not going to the bridge all by yourself, Inari-kun," Tsunami protested as she watched her only child pull on his sandals and replace his usual hat with a hard, rounded pan that he could use as a helmet if the need arose. He also had a quiver filled with arrows on his back.<p>

"I have to go by myself, because none of the others will come with me, or even open their doors!" Inari told her, not faltering in his getting ready to leave for the bridge. "I have no choice."

"You shouldn't go at all," Tsunami stated with tears gathering in her eyes as her son got up and stamped his foot a few times so that his sandal shifted into a comfortable position on his foot. He picked up the crossbow that was sitting next to him and looked up at his mother.

"Bye, Okaa-san," He bid as he walked to the door with a confident air and as powerful a stride as a ten-year-old could manage.

"Stop this," Tsunami ordered. "You're only a child. What do you think you can do?" Inari stopped, and turned slightly so he could look at her. He grinned a grin that would make Naruto proud.

"You're right. I am just a kid. But I'm a kid who knows what it means to stand and fight. I'm my father's kid," Inari stated proudly. Tsunami gasped as her son turned and she pictured Kaiza instead. The image of her dead husband soon faded into that of her son's again.

"Kaiza," She muttered, her eyebrows pulling together in worry. Inari said nothing. He merely opened the door and took a step forwards. "No! Inari, wait!" She called.

Inari stopped, but it wasn't because his mother asking him to. He was surrounded by shadows, each holding a different weapon.

* * *

><p>Naruto looked all around him for any signs of Haku, but found none. Not up, down, left, right, in front or behind him. It almost seemed as if the boy had simply disappeared. He had not released his kunai, just in case a surprise attack was launched against him.<p>

"Err…Where'd he go?" Naruto yelled, not stopping his frantic search for the enemy. "Hey! Huh? The fog's lifting!" He noticed. Looking to the opposite end of the bridge to where Sasuke was. Naruto then saw that Sakura had been coming.

"Naruto your ok! Where Sasuke?" Sakura called happily, that is until she saw Naruto's face drop and gaze somewhere else. Sakura fallowed his gaze and her entire body froze.

"No... Sasuke!" Sakura cried as she ran to him, collapsing next to him. "It cant be... you cant be..."

* * *

><p>"The boy threw himself in front of my attack," Kakashi said to Zabuza, who closed his eyes. "He saved your worthless life, at the cost of his own." He stated, just to be sure this was all real. All Zabuza did was chuckle.<p>

"Well done, Haku," He congratulated the boy. Kakashi glared at him as Zabuza brushed off the action Haku did and reached for his sword with a roar. He would hack right though the boy to take me down? Kakashi asked himself in disgust.

_I knew that I found a treasure when I found you, boy,_ Zabuza noted with a sadistic plan of killing Kakashi through Haku._ Not only did you give me my life, but Kakashi's as well. _He cheered as Kakashi tried to pull his hand from Haku's firm grip. Zabuza ran forwards with his sword as flash memories of the time he spent with Haku ran though his mind. He cast them aside and cried out as he lunged, prepared to go though Haku to get to Kakashi. The latter, on the other hand, made no move to use Haku as a shield. He took a good hold on the boy and moved them both out of the way of Zabuza's attack. He landed on his knees with Haku's limp form in front of him. Zabuza laughed at the display of pity and his shoulders shook. He didn't lift the swords right away, but stayed with his knees bend and his blade touching the ground in front of him.

"Not bad for having a corpse in your arms," Zabuza laughed.

"You'll pay for that!" Naruto yelled.

"No! Stay out of this, Naruto," Kakashi ordered gruffly. He placed Haku on the ground and looked at his open, dead eyes. Reaching up, Kakashi closed them with his hand and held up Haku's head with the other.

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"This is my battle," Kakashi said back. "Zabuza's mine." He growled.

"Naruto!" Sakura called loudly. The boy turned to her and saw her expression. It crushed him. She was lost, confused and looked like she had just been abandoned by the world. Naruto knelt down and helped her to her feet. Once both were standing he pulled her into his arms. But Sakura staggered away from the blonde while continuing to stare at Sasuke's corpse.

"Sakura-chan," He whispered.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why what?" Naruto questioned her back.

"Why isn't Sasuke moving? H-He should be…in-insulting y-you…yelling at Za-Zabuza and…and gl-gloating…and…b-breathing," She stuttered. "Why isn't he, Naruto?"

Naruto looked away from her and clenched his fists. He knew that this was new to Sakura. She had most likely seen death before, but she had probably never been affected by it. At least, he didn't think she had. This was probably something so strange and unusual to her.

"Sakura…," Kakashi whispered, seeing her ghostly-pale face. He wanted nothing more than to comfort the girl. But Zabuza stopped Kakashi before he could.

"Kakashi!" Zabuza barked. "I'd stay focused if I were you." He warned, leaping across to the copy ninja with his swords in a position to slice off Kakashi's head. Kakashi just flipped onto his feet and kicked Zabuza away from him.

* * *

><p>"I need to get to her," Tazuna muttered. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he jerked her out of her daze and she looked at him with confusion. He almost wanted to run from her. The innocent look in her eye and the child-like confusion about death was unbearable when you knew who she was before. The sweet, short-tempered Sakura was better than this one. She was broken. She was scared.<p>

"Tazuna-san? When will Sasuke come back?" She asked curiously. Tazuna sighed and closed his eyes.

"He…he won't," The bridge-builder said grimly. Sakura looked down and nodded as a shadow was cast over her face. When she looked back up, the innocent child was gone, but she wasn't the old Sakura either.

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured, pain and regret evident in his voice.

Sasuke's body, it was white, covered in senbon and scratches and the blood that used to run though his veins had dried where they once leaked.

"He's cold," Sakura said airily with an almost laughing tone. "This isn't just one of his Genjutsu tricks, is it, Tazuna-san?" She asked.

"Go on. You don't need to be brave on my account. I think it's a perfectly acceptable time to be a baby about things," He told her with an attempt at a joke. Although he didn't really expect a laugh, Sakura did give him a choked stream of laughter that sounded more like covered sobs.

"He never noticed me... I-I tried to.. He means everything to me.. I was never then just a week person on the team.."

"D-Did you hate him for that?" Tazuna asked. Sakura shook her head in the negative and brushed Sasuke's bangs from his face.

"No," She cried. "I know he was right.. but now I cant.. I cant show him that I can be strong too."

"S-Stupid S-S-Sasuke…I-I hate you…I HATE YOU!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed as she dug her face into Sasuke's chest while her shoulders shook and her sobs filled the empty air. "I-I h-hate you…f-for l-leaving m-me!"

_To put such an unbearable burden on a young girl's shoulder…if that's the shinobi way, it should be destroyed_, Tazuna thought as he watched the usually cheery girl bare her soul through tears.

Naruto clenched his eyes and gripped his chest, just over his heart, as his shoulders shook. He then looked over at Kiku's form and walked over to her.

"Wake up Kiku, Its time to wake up. We need you."

* * *

><p>Kakashi and Zabuza parried another blow and landed on the ground a few feet apart. While Kakashi remained standing, Zabuza fell to his knees and panted heavily. He stared at Kakashi in wonder and a bit of amazement was mixed into his gaze as he looked at the unaffected man before him. Why? He asked himself. Why can't I keep up with him?<p>

Not wasting time to ponder this, Zabuza hauled up his sword again and ran towards Kakashi. Although his movements were still fast, they were much slower than before. All Kakashi had to do was quickly lift a well aimed fist and he knocked Zabuza to the side. Other than his arm, Kakashi remained still. The silver-haired ninja spun and swung his arm around, hitting Zabuza right in the face. Zabuza stumbled back, his right had gripping his sword while his left hand hung limply at his side. The bit from Kakashi's dog had damaged it too badly for him to use it again in that battle.

"I'll split you in half!" Zabuza call out in a roar, running at Kakashi with blind fury coursing through his veins. He swung his blade once and then lifted it up and threw it down, only to have both attacks dodged easily by Kakashi, who then leapt up in the air and reappeared behind the sword-wielding man. He held the back of Zabuza's neck, as if to prove how easily he could break it.

"Look at you," Kakashi jeered. "You're falling apart." He mocked coldly with none of the usual humor in his voice. "I knew that you did have what it takes for the long haul."

"What did you say?" Zabuza growled out in frustration.

"You have no idea what real strength is," Kakashi said slowly, as if talking to a five-year-old. All Zabuza did was breath heavily, not uttering a word in his own defense. Kakashi spun two kunai in his hand and grasped them tightly. "Game over. You lose."

He pushed the kunai forwards, not letting either go. Zabuza turned and saw the kunai coming, so he twisted to avoid them, using his heavy sword as a lever for sorts to turn him since his body couldn't do it alone. Kakashi noticed this and planted the kunai in his sword-holding arm, just above the elbow, and dodged out of the way. Only thinking on the pain of the kunai, Zabuza didn't release his sword in time and his arm broke at the elbow, causing his sword to slid away from him.

"Now both of your arms are useless," Kakashi observed. "What are you going to do? You can't even make hand signs."

"Gah," Zabuza grunted as he tried to move his broken arm. He didn't get to answer, though, as someone else made their presence known by stepping heavily and tapping a cane on the ground.

"Well, well, well," The new-comer began. "He did quite a number on you, didn't he Zabuza? You look like yesterday's sashimi. I must say that I'm rather…disappointed." This man was the same as the one from the hut, and the one on the phone. Gato. Behind him was a large group of men, all carrying swords, kunai or baring their fists for a fight.

"Gato," Zabuza acknowledged. "I don't understand. What is all this? Why are you here, and who are these thugs you've brought with you?" He asked.

"Well, you see, there's been a slight change in plans," Gato informed him, tapping his cane on the ground. "According to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge, Zabuza."

"What?" Zabuza asked breathily. His eyes widened a fraction from the new plan, but other than that he seemed unaffected.

"That's right. You're too expensive, so I've decided to take you off of the pay roll. Of course, even these thugs cost something, so if you could slaughter a few of them before I take you down, I'd appreciate it," Gato stated coldly. "Think you can manage that, demon ninja of the mist?" He wondered mockingly. "Haha, look at ya. You look about as demonic as a wet kitten." He laughed as the others behind him join the laughter.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ok Kid, we were in a coma for a while I think nap time is over, I'll give you my chakra so you can help your friends. It sounds nasty out there.<strong>_

_mmm.. Karasu?_

Kiku suddenly started fealing replenished as Karasu's black/blue chakra courced through her, her eyes opened as she took in the sight of a dead Haku, Kakashi and Zabuza, and an army of men.

_There are so many of them. One rogue ninja was bad enough, _Naruto thought to himself in worry.

"Well, well, Kakashi. It would seem as if our fight was at an end. Since I am no longer Gato's employee, Tazuna is safe. We have no quarrel," The mist-nin stated.

"Yeah. I suppose you're right," Kakashi agreed. Gato stepped forwards and stood above Haku's lifeless body.

"That reminds me, you little punk," He said to the dead teen. "You grabbed me before and nearly broke my arm." As he said this, he indicated to the cast-covered arm resting on his cane. "I've been meaning to repay you for that." He kicked Haku's body, right in his stomach before nudging his face with the cane. "Ha, I only wish he were alive to feel it."

"GET AWAY!" Naruto screamed in anger. The blonde ran forwards, but Kakashi caught the back of his jacket and held him in place.

"Hey, stop. Use your head," Kakashi ordered, letting go when Naruto was calm enough to think.

"Well, what about you, Zabuza?" Naruto asked the silent mist ninja. "You gonna let him do that?"

"Be quiet, you fool," Zabuza snapped calmly. "Haku's dead. What does it matter?"

"What? You mean that you can just stand there and watch him get treated like an old doll no one wants anymore? You and Haku were together for years! Doesn't that mean anything?" Naruto asked him angrily, shaking his fists in the air.

"I merely used him, just as Gato used me," Zabuza told him. "Now it's over. His usefulness is at an end. The loss of his strength and skill, yes, that means something to me. But the boy? Nothing."

"If you mean that, then you're a bigger rat than I thought," Naruto stated, glaring at the older man.

"You don't understand the way of a shinobi, brat," Zabuza accused.

"Alright, that's enough," Kakashi cut in. "Calm down, Naruto. He's not the enemy. Not right now, at least." He stated. Naruto swung his fist at Kakashi, causing the man to release the blonde.

"Grrrrrrrr! Shut up! As far as I'm concerned, he's enemy number one!" The blonde declared, pointing an accusing finger at Zabuza. "You…you ungrateful bastard…after everything he did for you…" Naruto panted. "I remember what he…told me. Haku lived for you!"

_"Is there…someone who's precious to you?" Haku questioned._

"You were the most important person in the world to him!" He continued, pointing towards Haku. "And he meant nothing to you? Nothing at all?"

_"It was not my desire to be a shinobi. It's painful," Haku told them with a small crack of a choked sob in his voice._

"While he was sacrificing everything for you…you never felt anything at all for him?" Naruto tried in desperation for an answer. "And if I become stronger, does that mean that I'll become as cold-hearted as you are? I don't want to think of Sakura-chan, Kiku and Sasuke as tools to be disposed of, and I won't! Haku threw his life away…and for what?" He began to cry, thinking of what Haku did for Zabuza. "For your dream! You never let him have a dream of his own, but he didn't care. And you just toss him aside, like he was nothing! A broken tool…man, that's so wrong." The tears that prickled at his eyes were now streaming down his face.

"You talk too much," Zabuza stated simply, as if nothing Naruto said was of importance. Naruto saw, though. He saw the droplets Zabuza's tear made on the ground in front of the taller man. "Your words cut deep. Deeper than any blade. While he fought you, his heart was breaking in two. You see, Haku was always too soft and too kind. He felt pain and sorrow and now—curse him—I feel them too. And something else. I feel content that this is the way it ends." Zabuza stopped talking and used his sharp teeth to rip the bandages away from his mouth.

"Huh? What's happening?" Gato asked in confusion.

"Well? Cat got your tongue?" Zabuza taunted Naruto through his now uncovered mouth. "Are you really so surprised to discover that I'm human? Even shinobi are human. No matter how hard we try to escape that simple fact, we always fail. Well, at least…I have failed." He stated with a smile. The smile only lasted for a second, though. "You there, girl!"

"Yes? What?" Kiku asked, She had walked over there after seeing everything.

"Kiku your awake!" Naruto yelled.

"Lend me your kunai," Zabuza demanded, leaving little room for arguments from the younger ninja. Kiku looked down for a second before reaching into her pouch and pulling out a sharpened kunai.

"Here," She offered, throwing it lightly in Zabuza's direction. As the kunai flipped in the air towards him, Zabuza's mind went though all the memories he had with Haku in order from when he found him, watching him grow up until the present Haku was smiling in his mind. He caught the kunai in his mouth and glared viciously at Gato. Wasting no time, he sprung forwards at a godly speed.

"Ah!" Gato screamed. "That's it! I've had enough of this!" He yelled, running into the mob of hired thugs for safety. "Take him down, now!"

Said thugs cheered their agreement and willingness to fight the fallen demon, not knowing what they were getting into. Never stopping, Zabuza ran though the mob of fighters, cutting down the ones who stood in his way of the coward, Gato. Blood flew as he leapt over one man and sliced though another. People called out for help or cried in pain, but it all fell on deaf ears. One man, who was rather large with twin swords, managed to slow Zabuza down by two swings before he was in halves on the ground, leaving Zabuza for the others to try and contain. With grace, Zabuza swung his body and killed three more men before he got a sharpened spear in his back. He opened his mouth and gasped for breath, but didn't drop the kunai. The man who stabbed him was torn down quickly and Zabuza carried on, even with the wound in his back.

Gato had managed to flee to the edge of the unfinished bridge and was confident in his survival for the split second between him turning around and Zabuza breaking though the mob of thugs. He gasped and called out in sudden panic, but no one helped him. Zabuza ran, steady and true, towards Gato with the intention to kill.

"He…He's the d-d-d-devil!" Gato cried out in fear as he envisioned Zabuza to be the ruler of hell himself and not just a lackey, a mere demon. Not paying his words any heed, Zabuza leapt right forwards and pushed the kunai into Gato's chest. Gato groaned, but he wasn't in as much pain as Zabuza was when the remaining thugs all shoved their weapons into his back at once. He dropped his kunai and stumbled away from Gato, breathing just as heavily as the suit-wearing man.

"You crazy fool," Gato panted. "If you're so eager to join your friend, go ahead. But just not taking me. Not this time."

"Uh-uh. I won't be joining Haku. Where he's gone I cannot follow," He stood as straight as he could and moved towards Gato, who moved back in return.

"Stay back! S-Stay back!" Gato commanded, taking a step away from Zabuza for every step Zabuza took towards him.

"No, my friend," Zabuza grinned, putting his face right up against Gato's with a crazy glint in his eye. "It's the other place we're going to. You and me both, Gato." He growled as Gato whimpered in fear. "I can't think of a better location fro a demon ninja, can you? I'm told that there are many demons down there, of all shapes and sizes. Oh yes, I should fit right in down there. You, on the other hand, Gato…well, I fear you are in for a very long and painful eternity!" Zabuza cried.

"I-I'm n-no-not afraid of y-yo-you!" Gato stuttered as Zabuza laughed manically.

Zabuza smirked.

With that final roar, Zabuza reach behind him and used his mouth to rip out one of the kunai from his back. He slashed once at Gato's chest, once at his arm and a final time at his shoulder. Then he twisted around and slashed his back. Moving again, Zabuza sliced growled and became the demon everyone fear. With one final, powerful strike, Zabuza sent Gato into the ocean, begging for oxygen and on a one way trip to hell.

Zabuza looked at the thugs and they were scared instantly. They parted so that he could move passed them without needing to kill any more of them or their comrades. Taking the invitation to pass, Zabuza dropped the kunai from his mouth and stumbled forwards to Haku's limp body. His vision blurred and he fell to his knees, but no one helped him.

"Haku…," He groaned in pain, wanting to be next to the young boy he took into his care before he died. He looked up and saw an angel, only it was Haku in his pink kimono. "So this is…goodbye…at last." He managed to say though the pain and exhaustion that overtook his body. "Not once did I ever thank you, Haku…forgive me for that." He asked as he fell forwards onto his face.

"Don't turn away," Kakashi ordered as Naruto looked away from Zabuza's dead body. "When you live like a warrior, this is how it ends."

* * *

><p>"Sasuke…kun…," came Sakura's whisper in a sob.<p>

"Sakura…it's hard to breath with you on top of me," Sasuke panted, hearing the crying suddenly stop. He saw her head lift, a few spare drops of water drop from her eyes and onto his shirt.

"S…Sasuke? You…You're alive?" She cried out, smiling a brilliant smile that he had never seen before. His pain was still there. She scooped up his head from his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Ow! Sakura, that hurts!" Sasuke complained.

"I don't care! You have me worried," She yelled back, not letting go, but loosening her grip a little.

"If you feel a lot of pain, tell me," Sakura ordered.

"I will. But…where's Naruto? And that guy in the mask?" Sasuke asked the pinkette.

"Naruto's fine. But Haku—the guy in the mask—, he's dead," She said softly, looking at the fallen body.

"Dead?" Sasuke repeated. "But how? Did…Naruto do it?"

"Well…partly. Naruto beat him up, but Kakashi-sensei finished him," She informed the curious boy. "He was protecting Zabuza."

"Oh…I see," Sasuke looked up at her. "What did you do?"

"I wasn't really important," She muttered, but he could tell she was holding out.

"Nothing important? You saved my life!" Tazuna yelled, gesturing to the large wound Sakura had. It was from where Zabuza had ripped through her shoulder and almost taken her arm with his blade before Kiku came in.

"Oh yeah. My bad," She laughed, covering her shoulder.

"What do you mean 'my bad'?" Tazuna fumed.

"I saved the cry-baby," She mocked.

"You cried more than me! and all over this little twerp here!" Tazuna stated, gesturing to Sasuke.

"Shut up!" She snapped, her cheeks remaining slightly pink in color.

"Naruto! It's Sasuke! He's alright!" Sakura called to the blonde. Naruto turned to look at his once-dead team mate in shock. Sasuke looked away from everyone, to the ground, and lifted his hand as if he were greeting Naruto instead of saying 'I'm not dead'.

Naruto's expression of shock turned into disbelief and then into joy as he looked at Sasuke. He then looked at Haku, who had supposedly killed his Uchiha team mate earlier, in the ice dome.

_I see…he…, _Naruto thought in realization.

"Well, well. Will wonders never cease?" Kakashi mused as if his student didn't just cheat death. "Amazing."

"Eh? Uchiha had died then came back?" Kiku blinked.

"Hey! Yoo-hoo!" One of the thugs called to the ninja. "Don't go getting too comfortable."

"This party ain't over yet." Another stated. "Who's gonna pay us now that Gato's gone?"

"No way we're gonna leave here empty handed. So, we're just gonna have to hit that village and see what they've got for us."

"Not good," Kiku muttered.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei, you must have a Jutsu that can take care of this bunch of losers," Naruto prompted.

"Not right now," Kakashi replied grimly. "I used too much of my chakra."

"Let's get 'em boys!" A thug called as the others cheered and moved forwards. Before the thugs could even take three steps, an arrow landed in their paths, lodged into the bridge. They looked to where is came from and Inari stood, proud and tall, with a crossbow in his hands and every able-bodied man and woman in the village behind him.

"There's one thing you're forgetting about," Gichi called from behind Inari, next to Tsunami. "Before you enter our village, you'll have to go through us. Every last one of us." Everyone from the village cheered in agreement and lifted their weapons high.

"Inari!" Naruto called out the boy.

"Inari-chan," Sakura said. "I knew he wasn't a coward."

"Heroes usually show up at the last minute, you know?" Inari laughed, stealing Naruto's line.

"They've all come…the whole village," Tazuna said to himself in joy. The thugs looked nervous, seeing how many people were gathered to fight them.

"Heh, no way I'm missing out on all the fun! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The blonde boy called, using his signature Jutsu. One Naruto became five and the thugs backed up a bit.

"Don't think that I'm letting you fight alone while Mr. 'I'm dead but I'm not', rest's Uzumaki Naruto!" Kiku warned as she raised her kunai.

"We're fighting too!" The three said together. By now, the thugs were so far back, they were practically drowning in the water behind them.

"I might have just enough chakra to help you two out," Kakashi stated, looking at Naruto with his Sharingan. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He called, becoming thousands of Kakashi's. "Kakashi-style!" They all said.

"That's alot of Kakashi." Kiku giggled.

"Okay, still want to fight?" The Kakashi clones, the Naruto clones and Kiku all asked together.

"No thanks!" A few of the thugs called as they all ran to the small boat they were carried to the bridge on.

"Victory!" Inari called, setting off a wave of cheers and laughs behind him as the villagers watched Gato's men flee. Naruto and Kakashi dispelled their Jutsu and walked in different directions. Naruto stayed where he was, Sakura walked to help support Sasuke and Kakashi walked to the 'dead' Zabuza.

"Sounds like it's over, huh?" Zabuza croaked, still half way between life and death.

"Yeah," Kakashi answered shortly.

"Kakashi…I have a favor to ask of you," Zabuza told him.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Take me to him," He requested. "Before I go, I need to see him one last time." Zabuza elaborated. Kakashi sighed and pulled his headband back over his Sharingan eye. He then looked down at Zabuza with sympathy.

"Sure," He assured him. Everyone watched as Kakashi took all of the weapons out of Zabuza's back and picked him up. He then began the short journey to Haku's fallen form, just as promised. The snow began to fall over the bridge, giving the battle-worn stone a blanket of relief. It caused much question amongst the people.

"Huh?" Naruto spoke.

"Impossible," one villager said.

"Snowing at this time of year?" another said.

_Is it you, Haku? Are you weeping?_ Zabuza asked the sky.

Kakashi reached Haku's body and knelt down so that he could gently place Zabuza in his rightful place next to Haku. Once the deed was done, Zabuza thanked him and the Jounin walked away to give Zabuza privacy to show the feelings he preferred to hide. Zabuza turned his head to look at his charge, Haku.

"You were always at my side. The least I can do…is to be beside you at the end," He struggled to move his hand, but still managed to reach up to touch Haku's angelic face. "I know it cannot be, but…I wish I could go to where you have gone. How I wish I could…join you there. H-Haku…" He said in his dying breath.

Zabuza passed and the sun shone through the clouds, melting a snowflake in Haku's eye so it looked at is he were crying. They landed in Sakura's hair as she swallowed her sadness. But, Sasuke noticed it, so he held around her shoulders tighter as if to give her reassurance in the only way he knew how.

"He told me…that where he came from…it was always snowing," Naruto said though his tears. "All the time."

"Of course. His spirit was as pure as the snow," Kakashi stated. "You never know, Zabuza. Maybe you will join him there. Who's to say?"

* * *

><p>Team seven all stood atop of a large green hill overlooking the wave village, a grave and large sword sat infront of them as they were all staring sadly at the gave and sword.<p>

"That's it…isn't it?" Sakura asked as she crouched in front of Haku's grave, placing down snowdrop flowers with a small smile.

"Hmm?" Kakashi acknowledged as he placed Zabuza's sword up against the older nin's grave.

"That's the ninja way. To use and be used by people as weapons and tools," Kiku said, kissing her hand and placing it on the wooden cross before standing up and looking towards her team.

"Shinobi are all tools in the hands of destiny. No point in wondering whether it's right or wrong…it just is. It's the same anywhere you go or look," Kakashi told her.

"Well, if you ask me, if that's what being a ninja is all about, something's out of whack," Naruto stated confidently. "Is that why we go through all this training? Just to end up like Haku and Zabuza?"

"What is the reason for that?" Sasuke asked in agreement.

"Well," Kakashi sighed. "It's a question without an answer, and that is something we ninja have to deal with every day of our lives. Like Zabuza, and Haku."

"Okay!" Naruto decided. "I've just come to a decision. From now on, I'm finding my own ninja way. A way that's straight and true and without any regrets. From now on, I'm following the way of Naruto!" He declared.

"Err, Naru-"

"Just let him believe what he wants, sensei," Sakura cut in. "It saves everyone a headache when he tries to argue." She sighed. Sasuke nodded in silent agreement.

* * *

><p>Standing in front of the entrance to the newly completed bridge were the ninja of Konoha who helped path the way for the bridge to be completed without further troubles. Kakashi was standing on the far left, smiling lazily at the villagers. Naruto was to his right, grinning away and rubbing the back of his head. Next to Naruto was Sakura, who had a small smile in her eyes. Last, but not least, was Sasuke, who looked like he couldn't wait to get back to Konoha.<p>

"We could never have finished the bridge without you," Tazuna stated as he spoke for all of the people present who wished to thank the ninja.

"Thank you for everything," Kakashi said with a wave of his hand and a tilt of his head. Naruto stared at Inari, who was desperately trying to hold back his tears.

"Now, now. Don't get all choked up. We'll come back and visit as soon as we possibly can!" Naruto promised. All of the ninja bid a final goodbye and turned to head back to their home in the village hidden in the leaves.

"It was all their doing. Thanks to Naruto, we were able to stand up for what we believe and finish our bridge to a place we'd never known. A place where we found our courage, and our dreams," Tazuna said as a way of remembrance to the two ninja.

"Say, speaking of the bridge," One man call out. "Now that it's finished, shouldn't we name it?"

"Yes," Tazuna agreed. "Of course. Heh. And I know just the name for it as well."

"You do?" Another man questioned. "What?"

"We'll call it; 'The Great Naruto Bridge'. That sounds good." He nodded.

"Wow you just up'd Naruto's Ego there." Kiku muttered.

"That's a great name," Tsunami nodded in agreement ignoring Kiku.

"Haha!" Naruto laughed from on the bridge. "As soon as we get back, I'm going to let Iruka-sensei fix me up a whole mess of ramen to celebrate a mission accomplished. Oh! And just wait till I tell Konohamaru about all of my adventures!"

"Our adventures you mean. Im sorry I wasnt helpfull.." Kiku muttered. "I guess I was a little over whelmed.

"Yeah you were freaked out after Kakashi showed his sharingan." Naruto pointed out.

"O-oh that? It was nothing I guess it just frightened me a little." Kiku said nervously.

"Why were you scared of it if you have never seen it before?" Sasuke questioned, eyes narrowed.

_**Make a lie, he cant know about 'him'**_

_Like what? I dont know what to do!_

"I did a little snooping when I was younger and I read about it and it just kind of freaked me out is all." Kiku stated with an 'whatever' kind of way.

"Hn." was all Sasuke did before they headed on their way.


	5. AN

So I know Kiku isnt too much in the story yet, She is part of the main characters but its going through the main events first, she will start being more and more into the story where it will soon tell you more about her and How Sasuke is too her, to stop some confusion I'll reveal a little, When Kiku first came there her first best friend had been Sasuke and they grew so close that they might as well have been sister and brother, until the Massacre happend then they grew apart but Kiku still see's him as a brother and a part of Sasuke still cares for her as a sibling/friend but he wont let it come forward because he wants to concentrait on being an avenger.


	6. Chunin exams, bring it!

**Chunin Exams!**

It had been a few days since they got back and they were all going to meet Kakashi at the bridge. Kiku woke to the rays of sunlight in her face, a deep scowl marring her face as Kotetsu repeatedly pounded on the door to wake her up. She growled and kicked off her covers before getting dressed and running down taking some breakfast along with her to eat on the way, an apple and sandwitch. Then she went out the door and headed to the meeting spot.

Upon arriving at the bridge she noticed a sad and annoyed Sakura, an irritated Naruto, and a normal cold yet also irritated Sasuke. Both boys were glaring at eachother, eyes filled with hate.

"Hey guys!" Kiku called cheerfully but when no one but Sakura answered she sweatdropped when she seen the boys competing in a staring contest, munching on her apple she glanced at Sakura, "Whats with them? Did a chicken get jelous of Sasuke's hair?"

"Shut up Karasu." Sasuke turned his glare to her.

"Dont start your attitude on me Chicken hair." Kiku sneered at him.

"At least I didnt stay nocked out in the land of waves and actualy was useful."

"Leave her alone!" Naruto glared at Sasuke.

"Why? Is she seceretly your girlfriend?" Sasuke taunted, Naruto turnning red.

"Why yes how did you know?" Kiku said to Sasuke as she sauntered over to Naruto, hugging around his neck, "We've been dating since the team got together, isnt that right hun?"

Naruto turned more red at that and his mouth gapping, Sakura as well and Sasuke continued to glare.

"Whats wrong chicken butt jealous?" Kiku taunted. "Sorry Naruto but he asked for it."

_**Aww he turned into a tomato!**_

_Why is Sasuke such an ass! He deserved it but poor Naruto hahaha he's so red!_

"I-its ok." Naruto mumbled.

Time passed slowly and soon the team seven Genin were asleep on their feet. Kakashi choose this point to make his appearance.

"Hey, guys," He called casually, lifting his hand in a way of greeting. "I'm sorry that I'm late. Afraid that I got lost on the path of life." He sighed, trying to make it convincing.

"WHA-? Y-You LIAR!" Naruto screamed at him, successfully waking Sakura and Kiku from her light slumber. Kakashi sighed and jumped down, only to be automatically bombarded by his team.

"What are we doing next?" Sakura asked. It wasn't her who was the problem. It was the blonde who followed up her question with an entire speech of his own.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm ready for the next ninja mission, sensei. And hey, come on, no more of this dumb beginner stuff, okay?" He ordered. "I want a chance to prove myself. I'm talking a real mission! Where I can show what I'm made of! Gaaah! I've got to break out and burn it up!" Fire burned in his eyes. "See?"

"Uhhhhhh, right," Kakashi said slowly, putting his hand up in mock defeat on the matter. "I get it. That's great, Naruto. Now, take it easy, would ya?" Naruto's head snapped in the direction of the brooding, but calm, Sasuke.

_Grrrrrrrr, Sasuke. He's always rescuing everyone on our missions_, Naruto thought as he put his hands up to fight. Trying to grab all the glory and making me look like a chump. But he'll not get the edge on ME! He concluded proudly.

_Man is he fired up,_ Sakura thought with a sweat-drop.

_Dobe, _Sasuke deadpanned.

_Today's the day!_ Naruto promised with the flames still burning behind him.

-Naruto's thoughts-

_Sasuke fell down. He was exhausted and heavily injured. A kunai sped towards him, but he was too weak to stop it. Looking up and preparing for his untimely demise, Sasuke was ready to accept his death. Suddenly, the amazing and totally heroic Naruto jumped in and used his own kunai to hit the other one away, thus saving the Uchiha._

_"Ha! What's the matter? Can't take care of yourself, Sasuke?" The hero asked him in vanity._

_"Naruto! You're a true hero!" Sakura gushed, hanging onto his arm and kissing him on the cheek._

With a slightly perverted grin and solid determination burning behind him, Naruto clenched a fist and almost drowned in his thoughts of saving Sasuke, winning Sakura's heart and being crowned ramen king. Then Sasuke would have to bow down to him and admit that Naruto is better than him. He'll have Sakura, the perfect queen and everyone else would be his subjects. Ino and Sasuke would be thrown in his castle dungeon and Sakura and he would live happily ever after! Oh and Kiku would be his best warrior!

"Believe it!" He cheered out loud. Sakura stared at him, freaked out, and Sasuke sighed at his weirder-than-usual behavior.

"Let us know when you're done fantasizing, Naruto." Kiku said with a sigh and slight smile at the nuckle head.

"Then we can start the mission, alright?" Kakashi asked, also worried about the blonde.

"Right!" Naruto agreed.

"You better not be dreaming about me," Sakura warned.

"Ah! N-No, Sakura-chan! Of course not!" He laughed nervously.

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered.

"Teme," Naruto growled in return.

* * *

><p>Later that day, team seven were weed picking in the garden of some old lady who calls for the same mission every three seconds. Naruto watched as Sakura and Sasuke both pulled up a clump of weeds. Kiku however sat glaring heatedly at the plants with a look of hatred.<p>

"Well, I'm gonna beat Sasuke, anyway," Naruto proclaimed as he began rolling up his sleeves and he ripped anything out of the ground, so long as he could get his hands on it. Flowers, weeds, leaves, mud and much more went flying. After five minutes, his section of the garden was bare. Nothing but a big pile of greenery beside Naruto was there. He laughed and rubbed his nose, thinking of how the old lady would thank him for being to good and possibly even recommend him for bigger and better missions, ones that were more fit for a hero like him.

"Hey, you!" The lady said, walking over to the blonde. Sakura shook her head as Sasuke mimicked her action with a sigh.

"Uh oh" Kiku muttered.

"Oh. Hi, lady! I got rid of all your weeds," Naruto pronounced. "Pretty cool, huh?" He boasted, not noticing the growing vein on the lady's forehead. "Uh, what's wrong?" He asked, noticing her shoulders shaking.

"You pulled the weed," The lady confirmed. "And! You also pulled up all of my plants!"

"Huh?" Naruto voiced in surprise.

"Those were special herbs I've been growing and YOU DESTROYED THEM!" She hollered. From the front of the house, all anyone could hear was Naruto's pain-filled grunts as he got pummeled by an old lady.

* * *

><p>Now sporting the 'black eye' look, Naruto used the tongs he was given for this mission to pick a can out of the river he stood in and throw it into the basket on his back. He grumbled as he wadded on through the water, collecting more cans. Sasuke did the same action, as well as Sakura while their sensei just continued to read his orange book. Kiku complaining about how boring this mission was. The blonde boy cried out as he slipped in the water and was carried by the currents in the stream towards a giant waterfall. Sakura was too far away to get to him in time and Kakashi…well, he had no excuse, really. Naruto went over, but before he could fall down too much, he found himself being held up by Sasuke, who had Sakura holding a rope at the top for him to hold on to.<p>

"You are such a dobe," Sasuke muttered. Naruto growled, mainly because he had to be saved again.

* * *

><p>"Bah! Hey!" Naruto grunted as he was pulled along by a dog that was easily twice his size.<p>

"Not there! You're supposed to go the other way!"

Sakura and Sasuke, who were holding the leashes to a pair of much smaller dogs, just shook their heads.

"What an idiot," Sasuke muttered.

"I love this dog!" Kiku cheered, cuddling a german Sheaperd.

"He just had to pick the biggest dog," Sakura sighed as Naruto's dog pulled him near a restricted zone.

"That's not a place for dogs, it's a minefield!" Naruto exclaimed as his dog dragged him to the restricted area. Sasuke and Sakura watched as five bombs went off. By the end of that mission, Naruto was singed from the bombs and the dog was A-okay.

Kakashi, Kiku, Sasuke and Sakura all walked down the street after their missions, with Naruto being supported by Sasuke and Kiku. The latter held his right arm over her shoulders, holding his wrist with her right hand, and her left arm around his waist. Sasuke was doing pretty much the same, except he had Naruto left arm held over his shoulder with his left hand and his right arm around the blonde's back, just above Kiku's.

"Look at you…you're hopeless, Naruto," Sakura stated angrily.

"You really are just one big problem," Sasuke noted casually, but with a taunting smirk.

"Ouch!" He called out. Sasuke pulled away from his support of Naruto—leaving Kiku to hold him herself, thank you very much—and he looked at his arm. Right where Kiku's hand was brushing on his arm was a small red mark. She'd pinched him!

"Ha! Serves you right, teme!" Naruto cheered, pulling his arm away from her so that she wouldn't have to deal with his weight.

"I guess we're not making a lot of progress on the 'team work' thing then, huh?" Kakashi sighed, looking at his arguing team of misfits.

"That's right! Our team work's all messed up and it's all because of you, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, shaking a fist at the Uchiha, who was currently walking away. "You think you're better than everyone else?"

"Not everyone," Sasuke assured, still walking. "Just you. Face it. I'm better and stronger than you are." He stopped walking and turned to face Naruto and Sakura. "It's a fact. Unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong?"

_They're actually getting along worse than before…if that's even at all possible._ Sakura noticed. _What should I do?_

Naruto was growling, but Sasuke remained silent. That is, he didn't make a sound until a flash of Haku's mask flitted though his mind. He narrowed his eyes and growled, remembering how he was pretty much proven to be weaker than Naruto in that fight. He was almost killed, Naruto was fine.

_Grrrrrrrr! I don't have time to waste on Naruto and these lame, baby missions. I've got to hone my skills so that I can beat them. So that I can finally be strong enough,_ Sasuke thought with a growl of his own.

"All right guys…let's call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp some other time," Sakura sighed, since she noticed that Kakashi wasn't planning on stepping in anytime soon.

"Anyway, I have to file my report on this mission," Kakashi spoke up suddenly as he saw a bird fly over his head. It's leftover feathers falling tenderly onto the ground.

"Whatever," Sasuke mumbled. "I'm outta here." He stated as he turned and began to walk away. Sakura looked up and watched him take five steps before she got up too.

"Wait!" She called after him. Sasuke heard her, paused and turned around only slightly.

"What do you want?" He asked in his usual impassive voice. Sasuke was more than surprised to see a blush forming on the pinkette's cheeks.

"Well…," she began, struggling with her words and refusing to make eye-contact with the dark-haired boy. "I think that…for the sake of the team…we should work on our teamwork together." Every ninja present froze at the words that had escaped Sakura's mouth.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted while turning away from the pinkette. "You're the same as Naruto."

"Huh?" Sakura questioned.

**'Ugh!'** Inner Sakura grunted as she struggled to carry the enormous weight that was suddenly dropped on her.

Sakura though, kept her face composed as Sasuke continued by saying, "In every mission so far you've done nothing but be protected. Hn. Frankly, your ability is below Naruto's."

Inner Sakura almost dropped down to the ground as the weight only got heavier. Sakura was shaking like a leaf tears forming.

Sasuke seemed unaffected and continued to head down the path while Sakura ran away. Kakashi, who had watched the entire scene sighed with a sweat-drop_._

_I thought those two would start to get along when we got back,_ Kakashi thought to himself. _Well…I guess some things never change…_

Kakashi, getting a headache, muttered something about a report and he 'Poofed' away and left Naruto all alone with Kiku. But, what the blonde didn't notice was the square box decorated to look like the ground slide over to him. Actually, I suppose it was more of a rock costume than ground. When it got close enough for Naruto to hear the shuffling, he turned to see a square rock with eyeholes stop next to his foot. Now, Naruto was the biggest idiot you'd ever meet, but he knew when something was next to his foot and it wasn't there a few minutes ago. Very suspicious to him, how these rock are now a days.

_Fake rocks? What's up with that? _He wondered to himself as his eyebrows twitched. He decided to test his theory by walking forwards a few steps. He heard the 'rock' follow him, so he stopped for a few seconds before breaking out into a run. The 'rock' was lifted slightly and the ones in the box ran after him, still confident of their little disguise. Kiku giggled as she watched this.

He ran…they followed. He ran the other way, they followed. This carried on until Naruto and his boxy pursuers had run around a good eight times, but eventually he stopped and faced them. The box dropped, causing air to shift the dirt up around it and that made it obvious that the so-called rock was previously moving. Naruto pointed a finger at his followers.

"That's the worst disguise of all time! There's no such thing a square rocks!" he proclaimed. "It's completely obvious, Believe it!"

"You saw through my camouflage again! You're slick, boss," A small voice from inside the box squeaked. "Just what I'd expect from my greatest rival."

Then the box began to light, just as a, explosion would before the 'BOOM!' happened.

To be specific, three booms happened, and all a different color. One was pink, one was yellow and the other was blue. Once the smoke finally cleared, it revealed three kids in a crawling position, trying to catch their breaths from the smoke. One was a girl, with orange/red hair sticking up and out to the side, tied into bunches with onyx eyes and a wardrobe made up of mainly pink with a permanent red blush to compliment her adorable look. The boy on the far side had straight, brown hair and black eyes hidden behind round glasses. His clothing was mainly blue. Lastly, there was the 'honorable grandson of the honorable third Hokage', also known as Konohamaru. He was missing his old cap and all three had the same style of green goggles as Naruto used to wear.

"Uhm..." Kiku's eye twitched.

"I think we used a little too much gun powder, you guys," Konohamaru stated as he and his friends were coughing. They all seemed to notice Naruto still looking at them and the introductions rolled out.

"I'm Moegi! The sassiest kunoichi in preschool!" The girl stated, rolling into a blue background. "Check me out!" She said, striking a pose.

"I love algebra!" The glasses-wearing boy stated, going into the same background. "Call me Udon!" He also struck a pose, but a different one to Moegi.

"And I'm the number one ninja in the village!" The one we already know stated for no reason. "My name is…Konohamaru!" He finished, also striking a pose.

"And when we're all together…," The three said in union. "We're the Konohamaru ninja squad!" They stated as their goggles shined.

"Yeah, yeah! I knew it was you, Konohamaru," Naruto yawned, obviously unimpressed with the display. "Hey, what are those things? Those goggles you're all wearing on your heads?" Naruto asked them, noticing the headgear for the first time.

"Haha! You used to wear goggles, remember? So we're copying you!" The grandson of Sarutobi stated proudly.

"Seeeee Naruto thats so cute!" Kiku giggled again.

"Leader…who's she?" Moegi asked Naruto. She looked at the kunoichi, expecting to see the usual fangirl-type that was common in Konoha, but found herself gaping in awe and the air around this pre-teen that just yelled supremacy. Her breath hitched and she was amazed that she had actually met a kunoichi in Konoha who had enough power to get that kind of aura.

"Oh, thats Kiku Karasu my teammate." Naruto said smiling widley, still not interested in the kids. Konohamaru frowned and his friends didn't seem all that happy about his turn in attitude either, since he used to be so much 'cooler' to them.

"Hey! Come on, boss. Why are you being like that?" He asked. "You outta be more excited." Konohamaru scolded.

"So…did you want something?" The blonde asked.

"He's just trying to be 'cool'," Konohamaru whispered to Udon.

"You know what we want," Moegi stated. "Are you busy now?"

"Ummm…I have to train, Believe it!" Naruto claimed.

"What? But you promised that you would play ninja with us today," The leader of the trio complained. "Come on!"

"Uh, did I say that?" He asked nervously. If I say yes, these kids will keep bugging me all day.

"A ninja…playing ninja?" Sakura asked slowly. Everyone turned their heads around and caught sight of the pink-haired kunoichi walking up to them. A grim look playing on her features. Why she's grim you ask? A young Uchiha named 'Sasuke' is fault of that. "What's the point in that?" She questioned.

"Sakura-chan! I thought that you left?" Naruto corrected, seeing the look she gave him.

"Who's she?" Moegi asked.

"This is Haruno Sakura! She's my teammate!" The boy claimed proudly, trying to ignore the blush that was forming on his cheeks at the stare Sakura was giving him. Konohamaru looked back and forth between the blonde and the pinkette until he noticed the red in his 'leaders' cheeks.

"Oh…," Konohamaru stretched on while giving Naruto a sly smile. "Not bad boss…"

"Huh?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Come on," Konohamaru replied. "I know she's your…girlfriend."

Naruto's face, at this point, was as red as a tomato while Sakura's eyes turned a bit dazed with a glare.

**"What did he say?"** Inner Sakura growled while beginning to break free and take control of Sakura's mind.

"Well…," Naruto stated in a nervous tone. "You can tell that she's crazy about me."

**"THAT'S IT!"** Inner Sakura yelled as she took complete control and forced Sakura's body to take a nice swing at the blonde. Naruto went flying back from the pinkette's punch and crashed right into the near-by fence.

"Boss!" Konohamaru exclaimed while glaring at the kunoichi. Sakura was currently taking deep and heavy breaths as Inner Sakura's menacing aura discharged all throughout her body.

"How dare you?" he yelled at the pinkette, not knowing the consequences that would come with it. "You ugly witch!"

"Ohhhhh you did it now." Kiku whistled.

Sakura began taking deliberate steps towards the Hokage's grandson while her own glare intensified. Inner Sakura was crackling her knuckles with a raging fire burned around her. Konohamaru, finally seeing the danger he was in, took slow steps backwards. He let out a shriek as the murderous kunoichi began to strike at him.

* * *

><p>"Alright, thanks for the report, Kakashi-sensei," Iruka said as Kakashi dropped the mission report on the desk in front of him. "How's Naruto doing? Is he getting along okay with the other students?" He asked as Kakashi looked around. In the room were a bunch of other Jounin and Chunin, writing reports or just lounging around between shifts at the gate.<p>

"Hmm? Well…er…little by little," The Jounin answered vaguely.

"It's getting so busy around here. I haven't seen him since he got back from the mission in the Land of Waves. I'm a little worried., The Chunin confessed.

"Ah…you know, Sasuke is also in our group. Naruto sees him as a rival, which puts a constant strain on us and a very tight leash on our team work. But it also pushes Naruto to excel, so he's made amazing progress as it is. Some day, his skill may be so strong they'll match the person he respects most in the world. You," Kakashi stated.

"You don't say," Iruka chuckled. "What about…you know, Sakura?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"She's an…unusual girl. I noticed that she's a little obsessed with Sasuke," Kakashi laughed.

"Is that so?" Iruka replied. Kakashi then adopted a look of seriousness.

"I'm a little worried about Kiku though…," he said in a voice that sounded like a tired old man. Most people would have asked what was he worried about…but Iruka understood perfectly and nodded.

"I was too when she was assigned a team," the Chunin admitted.

"Iruka…," Kakashi said in a slow and sincere voice. "You know that I care deeply about Kiku and would protect her with my life but…it's getting a bit difficult…"

"How so?" Iruka curiously asked and froze at the next words to escape the Jounin's lips.

"Because I can sense that her abilities are going to appear soon. Her past with the Uchiha's is a stong one and I am worried that 'He' will come for her."

* * *

><p>Both Naruto and Konohamaru lay beaten up on the ground with large bumps on their sore heads. Sakura, finally regaining control over her mind, walked away with a huff and arms crossed. Konohamaru sat up and clenched his throbbing head.<p>

"Hahahahah wow Sakura, Sasuke was sure wrong you just beat naruto up and a kid, thats pretty strong." Kiku said laughing at Naruto and Konohamaru.

"Ow…," he complained while glaring at Sakura's retreating back. "Was she even human? And did you see her forehead? That thing was huge!"

Sakura, who had heard this, froze in her spot while Inner Sakura took control once again. Naruto and Konohamaru's team all shook with fear as the pinkette mechanically turned around with a glare so intense that even the most bravest of ninja would crawl under a rock. Sensing danger, Naruto and the others began running for their dear lives with Sakura not too far behind them.

"Run you guys run!" Kiku warned.

**That kids asking for a funeral.**

_Yup_

Konohamaru kept running until he bumped into someone and fell back. Looking up to see who it was, he found fully armed ninja they had never seen before, standing tall and looking highly un-amused.

One was a kunoichi with a pale lilac off the shoulder, wrap-dress that had a red sash, sleeves that folded at her elbows and the bottom folded to just below her knees. Under the dress she had a net-shirt and her legs were netted to just below the dress. On her feet she wore black sandals, but not the same kind as any of the other ninja in Konohagakure. Her headband sat around her neck and her blonde hair was tied into four, spiked ponytails.

The second person was male and was the one they bumped. He had a baggy black, full jumpsuit that cut off at his ankles and wrists and showed off the same style of sandals as the girl. His hands were in his pockets, but they could tell he had black gloves on. Upon his head sat a cowl with pointed cat-like ears at the top and his headband on the forehead. On the chest of his jumpsuit was a white circle, the left side filled in with red and the right side yellow. All over his face were purple war-paint marks. Both of them had a large weapon strapped to their backs. The girls looked to be a folded fan—a very big one, mind you—and the boy had something even bigger and wrapped in bandages. They looked very intimidating, especially from the point of view of a child who hadn't even graduated as a ninja yet.

"Do you need something?" The guy asked in one of those deep voices that all kids between the ages of five and ten found scary. Naruto, Kiku and Sakura, who had caught up by now, gasped slightly as Moegi and Udon looked worried for Konohamaru.

* * *

><p>A bird circled the sky as Kurenai watched her team catch their breath from training. Kiba and Hinata were both panting visibly, but Shino looked at he usually did. The Jounin heard the bird's cry and her red eyes widened as she looked up.<p>

_Hmm, I wonder_, She thought.

Asuma—the sensei of Shikamaru, Choji and Ino—looked up when he heard the bird's call. He and his team were seated just outside a small food stand. Choji was munching on his chips, Ino was drinking her tea and Shikamaru, who noticed how his teacher reacted to the bird, looked at the older man.

_Huh…now?_ Asuma wondered to himself.

* * *

><p>"Konohamaru!" Naruto called as the guy in black lifted up the younger one by his scarf.<p>

"So…does this hurt, punks?" The guy asked, tightening his grip. The girl looked around slightly and turned to the other boy.

"Put him down, Kankuro. You know that you'll just have to pay for it later," She warned him, still looking slightly around as if expecting someone to show up.

"You better take your hands off him right now!" Naruto hollered as the unknown ninja looked at his headband.

_So he's a leaf village Genin_, Kankuro mused as he grinned slightly.

"We got a few minutes before he gets here. Let's mess with these punks a bit, huh?" Kankuro asked the girl. Konohamaru struggled and began kicking the older boy's chest.

"You let go of me, you jerk!" Konohamaru ordered.

"You're feisty…but not for long," Kankuro stated, tightening his grip further. Naruto was growling by this point, angered by this guy.

"Put him down!" Naruto roared, charging at Kankuro. Looking at Naruto with a calm expression, Kankuro moved his fingers a bit and directed his unseen attack at Naruto's feet. The boy was thrown back. "What was that?" He asked in shock.

"You're a leaf Genin, huh? Looks like this village is full of wimps," The boy stated, sounding most amused.

"Hey! Cut it out! It hurts!" Konohamaru complained, choking for air.

"That's it! Let them go now or I'll break you apart! You got that?" Naruto threatened.

"You're annoying…all of you," Kankuro mused. "I don't like runts or any other scrawny weaklings, so when a wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth…I just wanna break him in half." Moegi and Udon began crying and Naruto only hoped what he was thinking of saying didn't sound as lame to them as it did to him.

"Fine," The other girl sighed. "I'm not involved in any of this, okay?"

"First, I'll take care of this squirt, then I'll waste the other one," Kankuro stated.

**Che I dont like this kid.**

_I'll take care of him!_

"You'll pay for this! Believe it!" Naruto promised. The boy just laughed and pulled back his fist to punch Konohamaru. But that fist came to a halt at the kunai that whizzed right passed Kankura's head and nicked his cheek, drawing a line of blood.

"Let him go," Kiku demanded as she stepped forward. Kankuro glared at her as she swiftly pulled out two shurikens and launched them at him. Kankuro stumbled back, away from the thrown weapons, but kept the grip he had on Konohamaru. Kiku, using his moment of distraction, ran at full speed towards the outsider. But Kankuro had already noticed her attack and prepared to punch her right in her pretty-little-face. However Kiku smirked evily and slid under his punch and kicked him, right in the family jewls.

"UGH! You bitch!" Kankuro growled ready to attack when something hit his writs.

A rock, no bigger than Naruto's big toe, stuck Kankuro in the hand he was holding Konohamaru with. The shock of the attack made him drop the scarf-wearing kid and Konohamaru landed on his butt. Kiku used this chance to pick up Konohamaru and set him on his feet next to Moegi. The older boy held his wrist were the rock—which was actually more of a small stone—had him and he stared in disbelief that such a miniscule thing could cause him enough pain to drop the kid. No matter how small the pain was, the stone had still managed to stop his attack. He growled and looked up into the tree where the stone came from. Low and behold, Sasuke sat there with another stone in his hand.

"What do you bastards think your doing?" The Uchiha asked with a scowl while throwing the stone up and catching it, then throwing it up again. The girl looked up at him with a small blush across her cheeks.

_Well, well…the local hottie,_ She recognized, due to the posture, voice and appearance. Every village had at least one.

"You bastard! I didn't need your help!" Kiku yelled up at him with a sneer. Sasuke looked at her casually and she gritted her teeth.

"Yeah, because almost getting punched in the face looks so masterful that I'll have to train harder to let that happen to me," Sasuke mocked as he rolled his eyes.

"Your such an asshole. Oh, and by-the-way, big mouths and small brains don't mix!" Kiku exclaimed angrily while flailing her arms in the air childishly.

"Hn," the Uchiha grunted. "Don't bother me." Sasuke glared at Kankuro, ignoring kiku and the next thing everyone knew, he had a shuriken right next-to his head. No one even knew she had thrown it until it landed.

"You made your point," Sasuke grunted, looking away. Kankuro looked at the shuriken ad then the girl and whistled low. She was gorgeous!

_But this guy…I don't know_, Kankuro thought.

"Oh great, another wimp to tick me off," Kankuro sighed as if it were normal for everyone to bug him tossing the stone back at Sasuke. Sasuke caught the stone and crushed it in his hand, letting the powder sprinkle.

"Get lost," He ordered. Moegi looked at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes.

_He's so cool!_ Sakura squealed in her mind.

"Grrrrrrrr, how come you're not cool like that?" Konohamaru asked his 'boss' while pointing to Sasuke.

"A-Ah, whadda ya mean? I could've taken that guy out in two seconds flat, no problem," Naruto assured. Sakura looked at him and scoffed.

"Yeah, because having Sasuke and a girl fight for you is really heroic," She stated with the roll of her eyes.

"Gah! Sakura-chan!" Naruto panicked. Sakura shrugged and looked back to Kankuro and Sasuke.

_Grrrrrrrr! Sasuke! You're always trying to make me look bad in front of everyone_! Naruto stated angrily in his head.

"Hey, punk," Kankuro called to Sasuke. "Get down here." He ordered as Sasuke looked at him with an 'as if' look plastered all over his face. "You are the kind of pesky little snot I hate the most. All attitude and nothing to back it up." He stated as he pulled his weapon off of his back.

"What?" The girl yelled. "Are you gonna use the Crow? For this?" She questioned in worry.

"Kankuro, back off," A voice from the same tree as Sasuke—but on the branch on the other side—commanded in an icy tone. "You're an embarrassment to our village."

Everyone looked to where it had come from to see an eyebrow-less red-head wearing desert robes with a gourd on his back and the kanji for love above his left eye.

"Oh…u-uh…H-Hey, um…Gaara," Kankuro stuttered.

How did he get there? Sasuke wondered. He didn't make a sound. Only Jounin at Kakashi's level are that smooth, as far as I know. He remembered. 'Gaara' narrowed his eyes and looked from Kiku to Sasuke.

_Wow... He's hot..._

_**Barf!**_

_Shut up Karasu!_

* * *

><p>"I have summoned you all for a very important purpose," The Sandaime Hokage stated to everyone gathered in his office. "Seeing your fellow Jounin here, I'm sure you realize what this is about."<p>

_So soon? I thought we'd have a little more time,_ Kakashi confessed in his mind.

"I take it the other lands have been notified about the coming event before now then. I noticed that some of their Genin have already arrived here in the village," Asuma sighed.

"And?" Kurenai asked. "When do we start?"

"We will begin in one week," Sarutobi stated.

"That's pretty short notice," Kakashi said.

"Take heed," Sarutobi began. "Exactly seven days from today, on the first day of July, the Genin will be gathered and tested. Only the very best will be selected as Chunin."

* * *

><p>"You're an embarrassment to our village," Gaara repeated. "Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?"<p>

"I know…I-I mean, they challenged us," Kankuro replied, pointing at Sakura and Naruto.

"Excuse me?" Kiku asked in an offended tone, sending him a death-glare worthy of the grim reaper. Kankuro gulped, but decided to keep trying to play on Gaara's good side.

"They started the whole thing, really," He continued, attempting to ignore the death-glare. "You see, here's what happened-"

"Shut up," Gaara interrupted. "Or I'll kill you." He added icily, staring intensely at the one he was threatening. Sakura was surprised that his tone indicated that he meant it.

_Ohhhh A bad boy._

_**Why did I have to be suck in a girls mind...**_

_Just go into your corner for now Karasu! This is my mind if I want to oogle the enemy I can._

"Uh, right. I was totally out of line," Kankuro said, putting his hands in front of him in defense. The girl copied his position. "I'm s-sorry Gaara; I was t-totally out of line." Kankuro said, trying to get Gaara to stop staring at him like he wanted him to explode or die in a very painful way. Looking away from Kankuro, Gaara shifted his gaze to Kiku.

"I'm sorry…for any trouble he caused," Gaara said. Kiku stared at him, both of them giving the other eye contact, but then she looked away, finding a fascinating hold in the fence near her to look at. Gaara shifted his gaze over to Sasuke, who didn't turn away.

_This guy has an evil look in his eye_, Sasuke noticed as Gaara turned to look at him. _And what was with that look he gave Kiku? _He added with a frown, noticing the how Gaara had stared at her.

_He stopped Kankuro with a mere pebble. He made it look easy. This guy is someone to keep an eye on, _Gaara acknowledged. He looked again to Kiku, who didn't notice him staring. _And that girl…I can sense something powerful within her. Better keep an eye on her as well… _He noted. Sand surrounded Gaara and it looked as if he himself burst into the little grains. It let up when Gaara's crouched body showed up in the spot it landed and he straightened up. Sasuke, still up in the tree, stood to get a better look.

"Let's go," Gaara ordered. "We didn't come here to play games." He added coldly as he began walking.

"A-Alright, Gaara. Sure…I-I get it," Kankuro stuttered as he and the girl turned to walk away too.

"Wait a minute," Sakura called, stepping in front of Naruto and the others. They stopped, but didn't turn to look at her.

"What is it?" The girl asked. She turned to look at Sakura, soon followed by Kankuro and Gaara, who also turned to observe her.

"Let me see you're permission to be here," Sakura stated. "I can tell by you're headbands that you're not from Konohagakure."

"Um, what're you gonna do? Beat them up?" Konohamaru asked, hoping to see Sakura fight.

"No, but I'm going to use my rights. You need permission to enter out village, as all outsiders do. As a kunoichi of Konohagakure, I have the right to demand that you show some identification and your passports as well as your Chunin exam forms," Sakura ordered.

"We have permission," The girl stated, pulling out her passport and showing it to Sakura. She then switched it with her Chunin exam registration form and held it out for Sakura to take, as well as her passport. Sakura took both and observed them carefully, before giving them back with a nod. The girl sighed and nodded, elbowing the brunette for him to take out his form and passport too.

"Here you go, cutie," He said with a wink as he handed Kiku his passport. Kiku rolled her eyes and took the form and passport.

"I wouldnt be flurting if I were you puppet boy, if your partner there hadnt shown I would have ripped you to peices." Kiku glared at him, " No one messes with my team and lives"

"Right..." Kankuro looked away.

"Okay then, it's good," Sakura confirmed. "You have the permission. I guess that I can't get you kicked out, but I can tell you not to hurt these kids anymore, got it?" Sakura warned, looking mainly at Kankuro. He nodded and she walked back to the others, standing just in front of them.

"I knew that you guys weren't from around here. An hourglass…filled with sand. That makes it pretty obvious," Kiku snorted.

"Makes what obvious?" Naruto asked.

"That they're from somewhere called Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand. They're from Wind Country," Sakura explained, she then turned back to the sand-nin. "Our countries may be allies, but that doesn't exactly get my trust from you guys. Where as we didn't know where you were from at first, you had to have known where we're from and you still attacked us." She frowned.

"You're correct, of course," The girl nodded. "We are Hidden Sand Genin and our home is the Land of Wind. And you were right that we are here for the Chunin exams too." She smiled.

"The Chunin exams? What's that?" Naruto asked, clueless as ever. Sakura looked at him with pure disbelief painted across her face. She hit herself in the forehead with her hand.

"Oh, Kami-sama! Why, why did I get put in a squad with the biggest idiot in Konoha?" She asked herself, hitting herself in the forehead again for good measure and to emphasize her point.

"Well, I've never heard of any Chunin exams, Believe it!" Naruto stated, still in his confused tone.

"Oh, I believe it, alright. I believe that you're totally clueless," The girl smirked with her arms crossed.

"Don't I know it," Sakura sighed.

"Good to know that not all Konoha ninja are weak and stupid, especially the kunoichi," The sand kunoichi smiled.

"Um, boss? Those are the exams that every Genin has to take to graduate and become a full-on Chunin," Konohamaru explained. He then muttered under his breath, "…even I knew that…"

"Oh! Well, why didn't you say so? I am so there!" Naruto said, pumping his clenched fists in the air in excitement.

"Hn," Kankuro snorted at the blonde as the three Sand-nin turned and began walking away again. Sasuke was the one to stop them this time as he jumped down next to Sakura and she crossed her arms.

"Hey!" Sasuke called. "You! Identify yourself!" He ordered. The girl stopped and turned around, pointing to herself with a smile.

"Hmm? You mean me?" She asked happily.

"No. Him," Sasuke corrected, pointing at Gaara. "The guy with the gourd on his back." Kankuro stopped and turned and then Gaara did the same.

"I am Gaara. Sabaku no Gaara," He stated proudly. "I'm curious about you and your friend with the purple hair too. Who are you?" The desert-nin asked.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke," He replied with a smirk.

"Kiku Karasu," The She followed, though she was confused as to why did he even want to know her name but hey she wasn't complaining. The three of them stared in silence, with Gaara's gaze switching slowly between Kiku and Sasuke and the two leaf-nin staring at him in all calmness.

"Hi there! I bet you're dying to know my name too!" Naruto said, breaking the silence, as he grinned and pointed his thumb at his chest.

"I couldn't care less," Gaara stated in all seriousness.

This made Kiku start laughing as Naruto pouted in the background.

"So, your names are Gaara, Kankuro and Temari and you're from the Village Hidden in the Sand, just to clarify," Kiku stated never taking her eyes off of Gaara. The three nodded. "I look forward to seeing you again." She smiled flurtatiously.

"Hmm, maybe you and I can get together for a date sometime?" Kankuro asked slyly. A vain throbbed in Naruto's forehead as he, unintentionally, stepped in-front of Kiku. Blocking her from Kankura's view.

"Not with you," Sakura laughed before looking at Gaara. Kankuro shrugged and the three of them turned and jumped up, thus leaving the Konoha ninja/ninja-in-training alone.

_Hmm…things are getting interesting,_ Sasuke smirked.

"Hey, Konohamaru? Do I seem un-cool or something?" Naruto asked the one who was first to give in the title 'boss' as they sunk in the blue and black depression.

"Well, compared to Sasuke and Kiku, yeah. You're pretty lame," Konohamaru shrugged in reply.

"Ah! You're not gonna show me up, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled at his number one rival.

"Hn, back off dobe," Sasuke snorted.

* * *

><p>Up a tree, overlooking the fighting Genin, were a bunch of participants for the Chunin exams. Two were boys and one was a girl, making them a traditional team. The boy sitting had bandages coving all of his face, save for his left eye and ear. On his back was a mound of white fur and he wore a grey shirt with sleeves so long that they over-lapped his hands and then some. The girl had knee-length hair, which was tied loosely near the bottom and her headband around her forehead and a green, sleeveless top. The last guy had black, spiked hair, his headband around his forehead and a yellow top with elbow-length sleeves. All three wore a grey scarf doted with black and the same style of baggy, grey and black trousers with long black, opened-toed boots.<p>

"What do you think, Dosu?" The spiky-haired boy asked the one with the long sleeves.

"The usual weaklings," Dosu replied. "Nothing special. But the one from the Uchiha clan, the purple haird girl and that desert-rat…we should watch them. Carefully."

"Hmm, agreed," The girl nodded.

* * *

><p>"Alright, it is time for us to choose our candidates for the Chunin examinations," The Sandaime Hokage announced. "To begin, could those in charge of the rookie Genin please step forwards?"<p>

"Hatake Kakashi, reporting," Kakashi stated as he took a few steps towards the Hokage.

"Sarutobi Asuma, ready for duty," Asuma said as he walked forwards as well.

"Yuhi Kurenai, here as requested," Kurenai informed them as she stepped into the space between Asuma and Kakashi.

"Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma. What do you three have to say? Are there any in your squads you wish to recommend, who are ready to take these exams despite their inexperience?" Sarutobi asked. "As you know, any Genin who has carried out eight or more missions is technically eligible for the examination. Beyond that, only you can decide when they are ready."

"It is understood, lord Hokage," The three chorused as if they had practiced what they were going to say and when they were going to say it.

"Right. You remember that most Genin require a longer training period and at least twice that many missions," The Hokage reminded them.

"Yes, lord Hokage," They said in union. Iruka just nodded at the Hokage's words. There's no need to say all this. Its way too soon for their squads. They probably won't even recommend them yet, Iruka thought confidently.

"So, Kakashi, you begin," The Hokage said. Kakashi nodded and used his right had to perform the tiger seal, as was customary for these events.

"I am the leader of Squad Seven. Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Karasu Kiku, and Haruno Sakura. I, Hatake Kakashi, recommend all three of these Genin for the Chunin selection examinations," Kakashi stated. Iruka gasped at his words as Kurenai made the tiger seal next.

"My squad is number eight. Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. And now I, Kurenai Yuhi, also wish to recommend all three of these Genin for this exam," She proclaimed. Asuma took up the seal next as he set about his recommendations too.

"And I lead squad number ten. Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. So now I, Sarutobi Asuma, would like to recommend all three for the Chunin selection examinations," He stated. Whispers flowed through the crowd gathered, most confused or worried about the ones recommended.

"Hold on!" Iruka shouted. "Just wait a minute."

"Yes? What is it, Iruka?" The Sandaime asked.

"With all due respect, lord Hokage, the ten names that were just given were all my students at the academy. I know their skills and abilities best out of anyone in this room," Iruka told them proudly. "Every one of them has great promise, but it's too soon. They need more experience before they are tested. If they try out now, they're sure to fail the exam." He stated in concern.

"When I became a Chunin, I was six years younger than Sasuke, Kiku, Sakura and Naruto are now," Kakashi stated in an almost daring tone, wondering whether Iruka had the spine to argue.

"Naruto is nothing like you! Neither are the others! Are you trying to destroy them?" Iruka asked angrily, stepping out of the crowd to face Kakashi better as he spoke.

"Well, the three of them are always complaining to me about not being challenged enough. Maybe wiping out on the exams will teach them all a lesson or two," Kakashi shrugged. "A little pain it good."

"Wha…What did you say?" Iruka asked, wanting to clarify that Kakashi had just stated that he would hurt his students if it meant teaching them something.

"Well…nothing fatal, of course," Kakashi assured. "But seriously, Iruka, relax. Listen, I understand how you feel. It's very personal for you, and it upsets you, but-"

"Alright, Kakashi, back off. You've said enough," Kurenai told him in the same warning tone she uses on Kiba when he threatens to let Akamaru eat all of Shino's bugs.

"On the contrary, Kurenai. Iruka needs to hear this," Kakashi corrected her. "He needs to realize that they're not his students anymore. They're mine." Iruka growled.

_Uh, enough already_, Asuma complained mentally, getting a bigger headache from the grown men than he did when Ino and Shikamaru argued about whether it was more important to smell nice than to smell of nothing when hiding from enemy ninja. Guess who thinks what. Kurenai, having already tried to sort them out, just sighed and decided to let the Hokage deal with it. She usually managed to sort out Kiba and Shino, but sorting out two twelve-year-old boys was significantly easier than dealing with two stubborn men in their twenties. At least with Kiba and Shino she had Hinata the peace keeper with her.

"But! These exams could destroy them! You know that!" Iruka accused, getting angrier and angrier at Kakashi's calm attitude toward the thought of destroying his pupils.

"Iruka. You have made your point, I understand," Sarutobi stated.

"Lord Hokage," Iruka bowed in a way of apologizing for stepping out of line.

"Accordingly, I have decided that the best thing to do is to hold a special preliminary test," He nodded.

"Pre…Preliminary test?" Iruka echoed, just to be sure.

* * *

><p>Once again, the four Genin of team seven were leaning on the railing to wait for their ever punctual—as if!—sensei. Sakura was watching her reflection in the water. Sighing to herself, she tried to hear her own thoughts over Inner Sakura's constant complaining about their late sensei. Letting her angry take over for a bit Sakura finally snapped.<p>

"How the hell can this be allowed?" She angrily exclaimed. Catching Naruto and Sasuke's attention. "Why does our sensei ask us to meet him and then make us wait?"

"It's not fair!" Naruto yelled in agreement. "Sakura-chan is right!"

"What about my feelings? I rushed here so fast, that I didn't even have time to eat breakfast!" She clenched her fists and imagined strangling Kakashi. Sasuke sweat-dropped at the tantrum Sakura was displaying.

"I didnt get enough to feed Anei..." Kiku muttered.

"Anei?" Naruto and Sakura asked.

"Oh right, pet bird. She's a very large Crow and is my fighting partner. She just came back from her main home. I havn't seen her since the Academy and she needed rest before she could come.

"And I didn't even have enough time to brush my teeth or change my underwear!" Naruto stated in pride. Of what, we will never understand. Sakura paused from her rage.

"Y-You didn't?" Sakura questioned, disgusted. "That's really gross, Naruto."

_First thing in the morning and the three of them are already driving me nuts, _Sasuke huffed in his mind as he watched Sakura lecture Naruto about good hygiene. He looked up in enough time to see Kakashi appear on one of the beams on the bridge in a puff of smoke.

"Hey, good morning, guys," He called casually again, lifting his hand in a way of greeting. "I'm sorry that I'm late. Afraid that I got lost on the path of life." He sighed, trying to make it convincing.

"YOU LIAR!" Naruto and Sakura yelled at the top of their voice as Kiku glared and Sasuke moved to stand in a line with his team mates. Ignoring the hurtful and totally untrue word of his student, Kakashi jumped down in front of the three.

"I know this is a bit sudden, but I recommended you for the Chunin exams. All four of you," Kakashi informed them. "These are the application forms." He said, holding out three pieces of paper with spaces for their names, ages, birthdays, names of team mates, name of sensei, etc…

"Application forms?" Sakura echoed.

"You're repeating me, Sakura," Kakashi said gleefully. "This is all voluntary. If you don't feel ready, you can wait until next year." He promised them with a smile under his mask.

"All right!" Naruto cheered, hugging Kakashi around the neck. "Kakashi-sensei, you're the best!" He declared as they swung around and Kakashi tried to pry Naruto off of his neck.

"Don-Don't slobber on my vest!" Kakashi cried distraughtly as he pulled Naruto off of him and set him down next to Sasuke and Sakura. "Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application, fill in the details and take them and yourselves to room 3-0-1 at the academy. It's at 3pm, five days from now. That's it."

"Chunin exams…Chunin exams!" Naruto cheered with a laugh as he looked at his application form.

"Hmm, Chunin exams," Naruto pondered as he looked at his form while he, Sasuke, Kiku and Sakura walked away from the bridge. "I'll be up against some really wicked ninja!" He added. _Like the guy with the mummy on his back,_ Naruto thought, seeing a picture of Kankuro in his head. And, of course, _Mr. Attitude_, He continued, sending a nasty look towards Sasuke.

-Naruto's thoughts-

_Kankuro fell to the ground, defeated, and a beaten Sasuke fell on top of him. Above the two of them, Naruto rested his foot on Sasuke's back and grinned as he assumed his 'hero-pose'. He had defeated his biggest rival and the guy who made him look like an idiot in front of Sakura, who also flirted with her!_

_"Alright!" Naruto cheered. "Who's the grand champion? That'd be me!" He boasted as confetti fell from the sky. Now standing in the position for first on a podium with Sasuke on second and Kankuro on third, Naruto lifted a golden trophy above his head. "If I come out on top, becoming Hokage will be easy after that!" He claimed._

_"I have to accept it," Sarutobi sighed, free from his Hokage hat and formal robes. "Naruto's better than an old geezer like me, so I'll just retire and let him be Hokage."_

_"Yay!" Naruto cheered, holding his fingers in a 'peace' sign as he wore the Hokage's robes and hat._

_"Oh, Hokage-sama! I just realized my love for you! Kiss me!" Sakura cried as she ran into Naruto's arms and kissed his cheek._

Naruto laughed as his fantasy continued, since there was no Kakashi to stop him fantasizing this time around. He looked at Sasuke, thinking of way to make his dream a reality. Sasuke, who was completely unaware of the deaths being thought out for him in Naruto's mind, looked ahead and lest himself in his thoughts.

_I hope I get the chance to fight that guy,_ He thought, an image of Gaara in his mind. _I just…if the pairings for fights are completely random like Kakashi-sensei said they were, will I get pitted against him?_ He wondered, Both Genin boys were so wrapped up in their thoughts that they hadn't noticed their pink-haired teammate had came to a halt. Sakura stared down at the ground beneath her feet with emerald eyes sparkling with sadness. Her thought's drifted off to the day before as Sasuke's words seem to echo in her ear._ …In every mission so far you've done nothing but be protected…_

_He…he's right. I can't take this test…I can't even keep up with Naruto and Sasuke…, _She thought sadly, staring at the back of her teammates as they continued to walk ahead without her.

"Hey, whats up?" Kiku asked stopping next to her.

"O-oh its nothing." Sakura said with a fake smile.

"Nothing huh? Dont worry pinky, I'll help you train if you like. Then we can show those two that we kick butt." Kiku said looking at Sakura seriously. Sakura looked at her and smiled.

"Ok."

Night became day and Naruto found himself walking across the Team Seven Bridge, as most now called it, to find Moegi, Konohamaru and Udon. They were playing ninja together. Moegi was holding a daffodil as if it were a dangerous weapon and the boys were trying to avoid it at all costs. Udon pushed Konohamaru towards the petal-covered plant and the grandson of the Hokage pushed back, but they all stopped playing and grinned when they saw Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto!" Konohamaru acknowledged. "Come and play ninja with us, please?" He asked with a toothy—except one of his front teeth—grin directed at his 'boss'.

"Sure!" Naruto accepted happily. "I don't have any dangerous ninja missions today, so no problem!" He promised as the kids cheered happily at the thought of playing with one of their favorite ninja in the whole village.

A Rain-nin suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke and stood behind Moegi for a few moments. Then, without warning or cause, he picked up the girl and chuckled as he jumped up onto one of the beams above the four boys left on the ground below him. Moegi screamed and struggled, but she couldn't get free from his more powerful and skilled ninja no matter how hard she tried.

"Naruto! Konohamaru! Help!" She called in desperation.

"What're you doing with Moegi, you big slug?" Konohamaru yelled up to the older ninja.

"Let her go!" Naruto ordered. "Now!" The ninja did nothing but cackle and jump off with Moegi still trapped him his grasp. "Come on, Konohamaru!" Naruto called as he jumped up to follow the enemy ninja.

"I'm with ya, boss!" Konohamaru agreed as he jumped up too.

"Hold on!" Udon called as he followed the two other boys.

* * *

><p>On a roof in the middle of Konoha, Sakura sat cuddled up with her knees against her chest. Feeling anxiety creep up with her at the thought of taking the Chunin Exam. Sakura didn't have a clue as to why, but the feeling that something bad was going to happen during the exam kept racing through her mind. She tried her best to ignore it but it was proven pointless as the negative thoughts kept on coming back.<p>

A sigh passed through her lips. "Chunin Exams…"

"Hey!" She heard a male voice from down on the street. Looking over the edge of the roof, Sakura saw that it was Sasuke and she waved slightly to him, getting the same gesture back.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked him, curious at the sudden visit.

"Let's take a walk," He offered. "Just you and me." Sasuke watched as Sakura's eyes widened at his offer.

"O-ok," Sakura accepted. Sasuke nodded in agreement and watched as Sakura jumped from the roof to meet him at the bottom.

* * *

><p>The Rain-nin laughed and carried on through the masses of trees that Konoha was known to be hidden in. Still carrying Moegi, who was too scared to speak at that moment, he looked back to see where Naruto was, only to find the boy right on his trail and in his sights.<p>

"Well, well," He mused. "He can keep up with me at this speed." He said, sounding almost impressed.

"I'll get this creep!" Naruto yelled. "Moegi!" He called to the frightened little girl being carried by the enemy-nin.

"No!" Moegi cried as she was tied to a tree. "You let me go!" She ordered, but the Rain-nin just cackled. She was tied up with thick rope and the ends of that rope were attached to the tree via a kunai on each side.

"I thought that the Hidden Leaf Village had powerful ninja, but now I see that you are nothing!" He cackled. "Just a bunch of weaklings." The man concluded as he tied a gag around Moegi's mouth. Naruto jumped down behind him, much sooner than the man had anticipated. "Hmm? Well, that was quick."

"Hey! You! Yeah, you, the fat old guy!" Naruto insulted. "Whadda ya think you're doing with Moegi?" He demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the kidnapper.

"What am I doing? Is that your question?" He laughed, holding another kunai out and to Moegi's throat. "Do you really want to know?"

"Ah!" Naruto called in surprise of the sudden threat.

"If you move, the brat's finished," He promised.

"Hey! Why are you doing this? She's just a kid! Let her go!" Naruto ordered, worried for the life of the young girl.

"I want the Shodai Hokage's scroll of sealing," The man informed him gruffly. "Bring it to me and I'll let the girl go."

"The scroll…of sealing?" Naruto echoed.

* * *

><p>"Hey? Why are we in the training grounds?" Sakura asked as Sasuke led her to the place Naruto got tied to the post.<p>

"I need to tell you something and I didn't want everyone else in the village to hear it," He explained. Sakura nodded, waiting for him to carry on. "You should just give up on the Chunin exams. There's no way you could get through them without getting killed."

"Look Sasuke, you don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself," Sakura replied stubbornly with crossed arms.

"These ninja are very advanced and they have no mercy. If you try to fight them, then you could lose your life," The Uchiha warned her. Sakura looked at him suspiciously, but played along.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked. "Do you care about me or something?"

"I…um…yeah. I guess I do," Sasuke smiled. The same Rain-nin that was holding Moegi hostage appeared on one of the posts behind Sasuke and laughed.

"Aw, two sweethearts. How cute," He mocked.

"Get lost, unless you wanna die," Sasuke threatened.

"Talk is cheap!" The ninja proclaimed as he jumped up ad sent three shuriken towards Sasuke. The latter pulled out a kunai and parried them all, leaving them to lie uselessly on the ground. He wasted no time and ran forwards to attack the ninja.

"Now I'm really mad!" Sasuke told him. "No way!" He yelled as the ninja leapt up and threw a wooden umbrella at him. Sasuke hurled his kunai at the end of the umbrella, but it split into hundreds of sharp kunai, all heading for Sasuke. They landed at great speed and the force caused a cloud of dust ad dirt to rise. The cloud of dust and dirt cleared, revealing Sasuke. He was lying on his stomach, with kunai lodged into his back, arms, and legs and all over the ground surrounding him. The Uchiha survivor didn't move, breath or show any signs of life. Sakura gulped, noticing how similar this was to the bridge incident not too long ago.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" She whispered. "Sasuke-kun!" The girl called as she ran to her fallen comrade.

* * *

><p>"Don't just stand there like a fool!" The ninja said to Naruto as he moved his kunai closer to Moegi. "Hurry up and get the scroll.<p>

"Oh, yeah right. And what happens if I say no?" Naruto challenged daringly, as if he had a few extra tricks up his sleeves left over from his pre-Genin prank-pulling days.

"Then I guess you don't care what happens to this girl," The ninja threatened, moving closer to Moegi yet again.

"What girl? All I see are two dummies," Naruto mock. "You and the one next to you made of straw."

"What?" The ninja growled. "Where's she go?" He demanded, looking up from the straw training dummy to the tree, where Naruto stood with his hand on Moegi's shoulder.

"She's right here, with the greatest ninja in the world!" Naruto boasted, looking down on his enemy. Moegi looked up at her savior with stars in her eyes.

"Yeah, that's you, boss," Moegi stated. "You're my hero."

"The Bunshin Jutsu?" His enemy growled. "I'll waste you, punk!"

"You just don't know when you're out-classed!" Naruto's clone stated, throwing a net over the Rain-nin. Three other Naruto's ran at him and jumped up, poofing away in a cloud of smoke. That left only one Naruto, the real one, sitting on top of his defeated enemy.

"Hey, boss!" Konohamaru called as he and the other two boys ran into view. "We're here!" He stated obviously.

"Yeah, well it's about time, you guys," Naruto stated, looking back at them as Moegi ran to Konohamaru and hugged him.

"Konohamaru! I was really scared!" She gushed. Konohamaru rubbed her forehead in a way of comforting the fear-filled girl.

"Okay, it's aright," He soothed as Udon right to Naruto and the Hidden Rain ninja.

"Did you catch him, boss?" Udon asked.

"Yeah, he's right here," Naruto stated. "I'll show you what he…huh?" He trailed off, looking behind him to see two big rock were the ninja once was.

"Hey! He used the Kawarimi Jutsu on you!" Konohamaru pointed out.

"Copycat!" Naruto yelled. "I used that on him!"

* * *

><p>Sakura shook Sasuke's shoulders and back, as if she were trying to wake him up. It was a sad sight to see that kunoichi acting as if her dead team mate were only sleeping or trying to trick her. However, she cried no tears and didn't let go of a single sob. The enemy ninja who did that to Sasuke just watched the upsetting display.<p>

"Ahahaha! He finished!" He stated almost proudly. "And that's just how you'll end up…if you take the Chunin exams."

"Sasuke…I-I…I'm not an IDIOT!" Sakura yelled. "I saw right through that cheap Genjutsu from the first moment!"

"What?" The man asked in surprise when she turned to him with a smirk.

"Sasuke suddenly asking me to go with him for a walk? That's unlikely from the start," She scoffed as she crossed her arms. "And then the whole 'get lost, unless you wanna die' thing just wasn't something He would say. And one more thing, he's never, in a million years, ever confess his 'love' for me! You made a lot of foolish mistakes."

"Are you calling me a fool?" He growled.

"I would if you were really here," Sakura stated. "But you're just an illusion. The real ninja ran off like a coward, so you're just the illusion of a coward!" She accused.

"Ahahaha! Are you sure I'm not real?" He yelled, throwing the umbrella at her. Sakura walked forwards and the umbrella went right through her, obviously a fake.

"Yeah, I'm sure," She smirked. The ninja laughed like he and Sakura were old friends, sharing a joke or something.

"Just what I'd expect from a kunoichi trained by Kakashi," He chuckled as he stared at her. "But the Chunin examinations will be mere than mere illusions. We'll see if you can cut it!" He yelled, disappearing into thin air as the Genjutsu dropped.

"I'm not scared!" Sakura yelled, even though the man probably wouldn't hear her. "Bring it on! Yeah! Chunin exams! Big bad Chunin exams!"

* * *

><p>Kiku ducked under a kicked and swung her kunai up slicing the Rain-nin in half, She spat at the body and glared at it.<p>

"Pathetic."

* * *

><p>Sasuke kicked back the Rain-nin who attacked him and as the older man skidded to a stop, he landed gracefully on the ground. Looking down on the defeated ninja, Sasuke scowled.<p>

"Stay out of our village," He warned monotonously.

* * *

><p>Kakashi sat on one of the many high roofs in Konoha, looking down on the village in its nocturnal phase. He watched as clouds rolled passed the almost full moon, all in an assortment of different shapes but the same grey, stormy color. The Rain-nin who had been attacking the Genin appeared behind him, but Kakashi didn't seem alarmed in the slightest.<p>

"So…how did it go?" Kakashi asked casually.

"They all made it," He replied gruffly. "All ten Genin, your squad and the others. All of them proved themselves ready for the exam." A puff of smoke surrounded him and became Iruka. "You were right, Kakashi, they're good. They've all developed very impressive skills."

"Hmm," Kakashi acknowledged. "But the Chunin examinations can break anyone. We'll see if they can tough it out."

* * *

><p>Three kunai hit a practice dummy in critical points, joining a lot more in the same target. They were all precise hits, not one of them straying too far from the point or weakly lodged in the wooden dummy. A bandaged hand rested on the board by one of the kunai as the boy the hand belonged to began to speak.<p>

"Did you hear? We are going to have rookies at the exams," He stated, pronouncing every word with extreme accuracy. "First year Genin. That has not happened in five years."

"No way," A girl said as she spun a kunai in her hand. "I bet it's just some Jounin trying to boost their egos." She assured them.

"No. There is more to the story than that. Four of them are from Kakashi's squad," He stated. Once we get a good look at this boy, we see that he has black hair in a bowl-cut, round fishy eyes and big, bushy eyebrows. He wore a skin-tight spandex suit in the cooler green with his headband on as a belt with red cloth, bandages coving his hands and orange legwarmers.

"Huh…interesting," The second boy stated as he meditated. The girl, who was a few feet in front of him, spun her kunai in her hand as she listened to the boys talk. She wore baggy, forest-green trousers, a pink Chinese-style top and had her chocolate hair in two buns with her headband around her forehead as her warm brown eyes looked at her perfect strike.

"But not very," She sighed, throwing the kunai at the target above the mediator's head. He, remaining calm while sitting in his meditative stance, had long brown hair tied loosely at the bottom and striking white eyes. His headband had straps on the sides and was tied around his forehead. He wore a crème shirt with sleeves that ended at his elbows and straps going up the front with plain, knee-length black shorts. Both his right arm and leg were wrapped tightly in bandages.

"Either way, it's too bad for them," The brunette boy mused.

* * *

><p>"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called from the front of the academy as the Sakura came into view. "H-Hey, you're late." He noticed. Sakura looked up at him and forced the sharpness out of her eyes.<p>

"Yeah, sorry," She shrugged. "So, um, morning Naruto...Sasuke." Sakura greeted as she looked at them. When her eyes landed on Sasuke, the image of him with kunai stuck deeply into his body forced its way into her mind, but she threw it out soon after.

"Morning," Sasuke grunted, narrowing his eyes at Sakura. _What's up with her? She seems…I don't know, shaky or something, _He noted.

Kiku then came running in, panting slightly tiredish with a very large crow on her shoulders, "Hey guys sorry im late. This is Anei"

"Wow cool!" Naruto shouted going near the bird, said bird turned a death glare at him, "W-woah.. nevermind"

Inside the academy, crowds of Genin were watching as one boy got beaten up for trying to enter the room marked '301'. No one helped him, but most did comment to the people around them how the treatment of him was harsh. Sakura led Naruto, Kiku and Sasuke into the hallway and they watched as a boy in green spandex got knocked back and a girl with her hair in buns helped him.

"Tch. You're thinking of taking the Chunin exams but you can't even get passed us?" A boy with brown hair and his headband on as a bandana snorted. "Why don't you just give up now before you get hurt?"

"Cha, yeah. I think I hear your mommy calling ya," His friend, with tanner skin and spiked black hair, scoffed.

"Please let us through. We're supposed to go in there," The girl asked, getting up and walking towards them. Sakura frowned when the guy with the black hair punched her in the face, sending her to the ground next to the green-wearing boy.

"That's harsh," One Genin stated.

"Yeah," Another agreed.

"Did you say 'harsh', or do my ears deceive me?" The spiky haired boy mocked to the crowd. "Don't kid yourself. We're being nice by comparison. The exams are gonna make this look like a picnic."

"Some of you won't survive the exams," His friend picked up. "Some of you will be marked for life and some of you may go crazy. For Chunin it's always life of death."

"You think it's a joke?" The other asked. "Chunin are all qualified to lead missions. The lived of your squad members are in your hands, so you better be tough enough to take the heat. Delicate little girls…don't belong here. Pff." He snorted.

"We're just thinning out the heard. You won't pass anyway, so go home and play with your dolls," He mocked.

"Beautiful speech…if you were trying to scare academy students," Sasuke scoffed. The crowd parted for him and his team, so they walked forwards and stood a little way from the boy in green spandex and his team. "Now just let us pass…Oh, and remove the Genjutsu while your at it."

"What's he talking about?" Several people in the crowd questioned.

"Well, well," The spiky haired one sneered.

"So, you noticed the Genjutsu, huh?" His partner asked. The Genjutsu was lifted and the '301' sign above the door changed into '201'. Sounds of amazement at the skill of the Uchiha passed through the crowd and the two bullies just scoffed.

"Sakura," the Uchiha called out to his teammate. ""You must have seen it first, right?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked.

"Your analytical ability and Genjutsu know-how is the most improved on our team," Sasuke continue.

Sasuke…, Sakura thought to herself in disbelief, the corners of Sasuke's mouth tilted upward.

"Of course I noticed it a while ago," The pinkette stated proudly. "Because this is the second floor."

"Huh. Well, aren't you the smart one's. So you noticed the illusion," Mr. Spikes laughed. "Now let's see you deal with this!" He yelled, twisting around and aiming a kick at Sasuke. The latter swung round and readied his own leg to kick him back. Noticing the attacks, the guy in green spandex rose from the ground and with speed that greatly surpassed Sasuke's own, he grabbed the offending two legs with his bare hands. Sneering, Sasuke looked at the captured leg that was still in the grasp of the spandex-clad boy.

_How did he do that? _Sakura wondered as she stared at the boy._ I thought that he was a weakling getting knocked around like he was, but, he's faster than me!_ She recognized without denying the fact.

The boy released the legs and the bully flipped back to his friend. Scoffing at the boy who stopped him, him and his partner left the room on their own and walked through another door. Sasuke put his foot down and stared at the strange boy's hand, which had stopped his most powerful kick before he could even register that he had been halted in his attack.

_He stopped my kick_, Sasuke acknowledged. _That's some chakra he has in his arm._

"Hey, what happened to the plan?" The other boy from the spandex-boy's team asked. "I thought that you were the one who said to keep a low profile and not let anyone see your skill level."

"I know, but…," He trailed off, looking at Sakura with a heavy blush and a fist clenched with determination.

"Never mind," The girl sighed. "It's over. Forget it." She said, shaking her head.

_Hey, what happened to the bruises he had before? They're gone, _Sasuke noticed. Were they fakes? He wondered. Sasuke watched the strange eyebrow boy as he walked over to Sakura and towered over her by three or four inches.

"My name is Rock Lee," He stated proudly. "You are Sakura, right?"

"Huh?" She asked, confused by his sudden appearance. Lee gave her a 'thumbs up' and grinned, closing one eye in a wink with his blush still in place, thus assuming the full 'good-guy' pose.

"Please be my girlfriend!" He asked, not noticing the glare he was getting from one of her teammates. "I vow to protect you with my life." The boy added as his tooth pinged.

"Definitely…not," She deadpanned. Lee dropped the grin, but remained in the pose.

"Why?" He asked, mortified.

"Because you're a weirdo," Sakura stated bluntly. This caused Kiku who had been by Naruto keeping quiet to start to crack up laughing. Lee's head dropped as Naruto laughed at him while Sasuke receded his glare and let go of the breath he had been holding as a sigh of relief. Sakura edged away from Lee and walked over to Sasuke, stopping next to him.

"Hey," He nodded. "What a freak." Sasuke added, gesturing to Lee.

"Hey you. Over here," A boy called to Sasuke. They turned to see the white-eyed team mate of Lee.

"Can we help you?" Kiku asked, putting her hands on her hips. The brunette kept his gaze on the Uchiha.

"What's your name?" He asked.

_Again? It's always about Sasuke!_ Naruto yelled mentally.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking someone else's," Sasuke told him, as if lecturing him on manners.

"Hey, you're a rookie, aren't you? How old are you anyway?" The boy continued as if Sasuke hadn't just insulted his manners.

"I'm not obliged to answer that," Sasuke scolded, getting a frown out of the boy.

"What about you?" The brunette asked, directing his gaze to Kiku.

"Kiku Karasu," She replied with a smile. Trying to at least be nicer than her dark-haired teammate.

"Why don't you step out of our way?" Sasuke scolded, not removing his glare.

"What's that?" The boy asked, getting angry from being smart-mouthed by the rookie Genin.

_Cute_, The girl in buns thought with a small blush and a giggle. Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to get Naruto, but found him and the Lee-boy resting a hand against the wall in a deep depression.

"A weirdo?" Lee asked himself sadly.

"Argh, no one wants to know my name," Naruto stated in the same way.

"Aw, I know your name, Naruto," Kiku soothed, getting a grin out of the boy. "Now come on!" She added, grabbing the hands of all her teammates and leading the way.

"Hmm. So that's the bunch of misfits that Kakashi and Gai have been going on about," One of the bullies stated from behind a door. "I guessed that they passed their first test; getting their applications through."

"Right," The one with spiked hair snorted as they turned from the Genin and preformed the tiger seal. A cloud of smoke later and the bullies were replaced with older versions of themselves in grey uniforms. "It looks like the exams are gonna be fun this year." He stated, amused.

"Yeah, for us, but maybe not for them," The other joked.

Team seven were walking up the stairs to get to the third floor from the second, all of them thinking their own thoughts.

_So, this is the big-bad Chunin exam, huh?_ Sasuke thought to himself with a smirk. _Tch. It's a freak show_! He added as images of that brunette from before, Lee and Gaara passed through his mind. Sakura cast a side-ways glance at her dark-haired teammate and stared at the determination burning in his onyx-eyes.

_Chunin Exams…, _Sakura thought to herself as her and her team continued walking forward. _Here we come!_

* * *

><p>Naruto,Kiku, her bird, Sasuke and Sakura took a few steps from the door, looking around the room at the wide collection of strange looking Genin gathered in the large, four-walled place. Everyone spared them a glance, eyes narrowing at the thought of even more competition. It was intimidating, to say the least, as they looked to be some of the youngest Genin there. They had just escaped some werido named Lee who pronouncecd his undying love for sakura and is freak of a teacher named Gai.<p>

"W-What's this?" Naruto stuttered, seeing all eyes going over him, Kiku, Sasuke and Sakura in turn.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, eyes narrowing at everyone who dared to stare at the Uchiha Sasuke.

"I guess that this'll be fun after all," Kiku smirked, her eyes also going over the people in the room. Her eyes landed on three particular sand-nin's. They were talking amongst themselves, but the red-headed one, named Gaara, turned and caught Kiku's stare. She quickly looked away, pretending not to notice him.

"Sasuke-kun! Where have you been?" A female voice squealed over the quiet the rest of the people in the room had set. Sasuke stumbled forwards slightly when he felt a weight on his back and two cloth-covered arms wrap around his neck. Ino pressed her chin on his shoulder and held her face near his as she smiled and blushed. Sasuke just looked un-amused and slightly disturbed.

"Damn," He cursed, hoping to avoid fan-girls if possible. Sakura's eyes flicked over to him and Ino and she could feel rage begin to boil inside of her.

"Boy, you have no idea how much I was hoping that you'd show up here, Sasuke-kun," She giggled, not loosening her grip. "I've missed those brooding good looks of yours."

"Hey, Ino-pig get off Sasuke!" She did slip off of his back, but her arm was still around his shoulders.

"Hah why he obviously enjoys it" Ino replied.

She smirked. "At least I don't have to put up with having a mountain of puss and fat next to me, like Uchiha does." She continued. A vein popped in Ino's forehead.

"Grrrrrrrr! You're impossible!" She growled at the pinkette. Naruto snorted at Sakura's insult. "Not stop acting so tough when we all know your just a weakling!" The girl yelled. Sakura glared at her and Kiku grabbed Ino by her hair, yanking her off of Sasuke.

"Listen," She said in low and murderous voice. "I don't appreciate you insulting my teammate like that. Only I can got it pig?" She then shoved Ino back who in turned glared hatefully at her.

"Oh, it's you guys," A lazy voice stated as Shikamaru and Choji stepped next to Ino and looked at the team seven Genin. "I knew this was gonna be troublesome, but I didn't know it was going to be this lame." He drawled as Choji continued to scoff his chips.

"So, all three stooges are here," Naruto teased, moving closer to Shikamaru and Choji.

"Hey!" Shikamaru called in his and Choji's defense. "You know what, pipsqueak?…Oh, forget it; you're a waste of my time." He sighed, frowning at the blonde instead.

_Nara Shikamaru. He's always complaining and never does a thing about it. He was the laziest kid ever to enter the academy, but I've got to admit that he is smart,_ Naruto recognized immediately, turning to look at the second new comer who hadn't yet spoken.

Choji, for his part, did nothing but put chips in his mouth, then chew them and swallow them at an alarming rate. He looked up occasionally to see if Naruto was trying to come closer to steal his food, but mostly just didn't pay attention to the potential fight.

_Akimichi Choji. Aki-munchy is more like it. I think that he'd eat his own head if he could_, The blonde stated in all seriousness on his part.

"Sorry, but Sasuke-kun is taken," Ino stated as she stuck out her tongue and used one of her fingers to pull down her bottom eyelid at the fangirls who walked passed and tried to flirt with Sasuke.

_Yamanaka Ino. Now she's annoying, and not just because she's got the same stupid thing for Sasuke that almost every girl in the world has got, either_, Naruto nodded, frowning at Ino.

"Well, well, what do ya know?" Another guy's voice, this one sounding more amused than lazy, called as he and his team approached teams seven and ten. "It looks like the whole gang is back together again." He mused, his white dog—that was sitting on his head—barking in agreement.

"Hey Kiba!" Kiku smiled brightly, high fiving him.

"H-Hi…Naruto-k-kun," Hinata greeted shyly as she stood behind Kiba, peeking out to see her secret crush. She blushed when the blonde looked towards her.

_Hinata Hyuuga. She's okay I guess. But she get's all shy and nervous whenever I even look at her. Kinda weird, _Naruto recognized as the girl continued to blush. Naruto looked towards the boy with the dog on his head. The boy was grinning a grin that could compete with Naruto's

_Inuzuka Kiba and his dog, Akamaru. Forget what I said about Ino, this guy's the most annoying of all. He thinks he's so cool. I dont see why Kiku likes him!_Naruto stated in his own mind. The blonde boy turned towards the third member of their team, who was by far the quietest boy he'd ever met. He was just standing, not looking at anyone or paying attention to anything around him. Aloof was one way to describe Shino, but even that was too loose a term for this shadow of a human.

_Aburame Shino. Well, he's just weird. Kind of a mystery, but that doesn't mean that he isn't annoying too, _Naruto noted.

"You guys too, huh? Man, everyone is here for this stupid thing," The lazy genius on team ten muttered bitterly.

"Yep, here we all are. The ten rookies. Ahahaha," Kiba laughed, trying to act 'cool' as Naruto would put it. "This is gonna be fun." He grinned. "At least, for those good enough to make the cut, right, Sasuke?" The dog-boy mocked.

"Kiba; careful that you don't get over-confident," Sasuke smirked as Sakura rolled her eyes at their big ego's.

"Just wait. We're gonna blow you guys away," He taunted. "We've been training like crazy."

"Whadda ya think we've been doing?" Naruto asked. "Sitting around picking daises? You don't know what training means." He accused, pointing a finger at Kiba.

"U-Uh…d-don't mind K-Kiba, Naruto-kun. I-I'm sure th-that he didn't m-mean anything b-by it," Hinata stuttered from her place next to dog-boy.

_Akamaru's looking plumper…juicier_, Choji thought greedily as he stepped towards Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba turned from Naruto to the food-boy. Shino stepped in his way, obviously sensing the boy's intent against his team mate's ninken. "What'd you want?" He asked the bug-nin. Shino looked down. "What's wrong?"

Choji and Shino both looking on the floor, were a small black bug was scurrying passed. If Choji had carried on walking, he probably would have squashed it. Choji's eyes followed the squeaking bug as it carried on along its way.

"I thought that maybe you hadn't seen it," Shino stated in his deep voice that most males got over time.

"Huh?" Choji questioned, looking confused.

"Didn't want you stepping on it," Shino clarified, scaring the Akimichi clan boy slightly.

"Well, why? You saving it for lunch?" Choji asked him obliviously. Shino glared behind his glasses and Sakura frowned at Choji, but neither said a word.

"Hey, you guys," Yet another male called out. "You might wanna try keeping it down a little. I mean, no offence, but you're the nine rookies right? Fresh out of the academy?" He asked.

The ten of them looked at him and saw that he was probably only a few years older than them. He had silver hair, like Kakashi's, but it was tied in a spiky ponytail at the base of his neck. The clothing he wore was mainly purple. He wore a white, baggy t-shit with a baggy purple top over it, off-white cloth around his waist and purple ankle-length trousers. His hands were covered with the same type of gloves as Kakashi, except they went up to his elbows and he wore black ninja sandals, had a Konoha headband around his forehead and glasses.

"There's ten of us, actually," Ino stated, having to be the 'smart one' and point out his mistake. The man looked at her and then looked over the rest of the rookie Genin.

"Yes, of course. Ten," He stated, sounding amused. "I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves. Just cool it. This isn't a class field-trip, ya know?" He shrugged.

"Well, who asked you? Who are you?" Kiku asked the silver-haired guy.

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto," He stated, smirking. "But really, you should just take a look around you. You've made quite an impression." He continued to say, never dropping that smirk of his as seven of the ten Genin looked at the rest of the competition with wide eyes. Sakura, her eyes narrow, glared at Kabuto, a feeling of uneasiness engulfing her body. Kabuto noticed her glare but merely smiled at her.

All of the other Genin in the place were looking at them with either murder or hatred in their eyes, causing most of the rookie ten to flinch at the hard looks. None of the opposing Genin looked friendly at all, other than a few of the younger girls smiling and batting their eyelashes at Sasuke. Three men, not from the village Konoha, were staring at them, but one seemed to be missing his pupils and his irises.

"See those guys?" Kabuto asked, gesturing towards the men. "They're from the Hidden Rain Village. Very touchy. They all are. This exam makes almost everyone tense. And you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now."

"Aa," A few of the nine said in recognition of the warning.

"You can't help it. I mean, how could you know how things work? You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a while back," He told them, but Sakura sensed a mild untruth in his attitude.

"Kabuto…that's your name, right?" Sakura checked.

"Cleaver girl. And here I thought you planned to get through on your looks alone," Kabuto affirmed, smirking as her eye twitched at his obvious insult on how she looked dumb.

"So, this isn't the first time you've taken this exam?" She asked him, trying to ignore his insult as best she could.

"No," Kabuto said sheepishly. "It's…my seventh." He admitted. Shikamaru just stared at him in surprise. "Well, they're held twice a year, so this will be my fourth year."

"Seven times?" Kiku smirked. "Look at you…a veteran. A real expert on how to get through and fail the exams." She added, remembering how he mocked her earlier.

"I do consider myself as somewhat of an expert, as long as no one asks how to pass," He concluded, mentally applauding her come-back.

"Cool! Then you can give us all the inside tips!" Naruto realized.

"Yeah, some expert. As Sakura-san said, he's never passed," The lazy one, also known as Shikamaru, sighed as he looked over Kabuto for any signs of a lie, as all good ninja should.

"Well, seventh time's the charm. That's what they say, huh?" Kabuto chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Not really," Kiku muttered, causing Sasuke to smirk.

"So then, I guess all those rumors about the exams being tough are true. Aw man, I knew this was going to be a drag. So troublesome," Shikamaru stated with a sigh.

"Hang on. Don't give up hope just yet. Maybe I can help you kids out a little," Kabuto offered, reaching into the pouch on his hip. He pulled out orange-backed cards. "With my ninja info cards."

"Okay, I'll bite. What'd they do?" Sakura asked, looking suspiciously at the small deck of cards he fanned out in his hand.

"It's hard to explain," Kabuto sighed. "But, these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years." He told her, settling himself on the ground on his knees and placing the deck in front of him. "I've got more than two hundred of them. So you see, I haven't been completely wasting my time."

"No, just mostly,"Kiku added in.

"I'll have to watch my pride and ego around you, wont I,?" He acknowledged. "Anyway, they may not look like very much to the naked eye. In fact, they appear blank." He stated, placing one of the cards face-up in the ground and, true to his word, it was blank. "I don't want just anyone to see this stuff." Kabuto put his index finger in the middle of the card and started to shift his shoulder so that the card spun.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I'm using my chakra, to reveal their secrets," Kabuto told her as a small cloud of smoke covered the card and the blank side was replaced by a colored map and 3D bars above each country, all of it fully labeled.

"Wow…it's…a map," Kiku looked at it, severely unimpressed.

"It's not just a map," He told her. "It shows the geographical distributions of all the candidates who have come to take the Chunin exams this year. It shows what villages they come from and how many there are from each village." He explained. "Why do you guys think they all come here to take the exam together, at the same time?" He asked rhetorically. None of them made a noise, other than Choji's constant munching. "It's to foster a friendship between nations, of course. International brotherhood and all that. And it's true enough, as far as it goes."

"But there's another reason," Sasuke cut in.

"Yeah." Kabuto agreed. "You see, this way they can carefully regulate the total number of shinobi that can end up in each village, there by containing the balance of power."

"Oh, yeah. Balance of power," Naruto nodded unsurely.

"Balance of power. Big deal. It's all a drag," Shikamaru said quickly and lazily as usual. Kabuto moved his hand over the card and, in another puff of smoke, it was blank again.

"If the balance isn't maintained, one nation could end up with many more shinobi than it's neighbors, and it might be tempted to attack them, so they try to maintain the statues quo," Kabuto told the Nara. "It makes sense…I suppose."

"Do those cards of yours have any info on the other candidates?" Sasuke asked before Kabuto and Shikamaru could start to discuss the balance of power further. "Individually?"

"They might," Kabuto stated vaguely. "You have someone special in mind?"

"I might," Sasuke told him, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, I can't promise that my information is complete or perfect, but I've got something on just about everyone," Kabuto told him as he put the other card back and sorted his pile. "Including you guys, of course." He added with yet another smirk. "So, which one is it? tell me anything you know about them—a description, where they're from, whatever—anything at all." He stated, holding up another card.

"He's Sabaku no Gaara, and there's Rock Lee of the leaf village, while you're at it," Sasuke told him.

"Man, that's no fun. You even know their names. That makes it easy," The silverette complained as he placed the card back and moved his hand over his pile quickly. Choji burped and carried on munching, but everyone else was silent.

"Well?" Sasuke asked impatiently. Kabuto stopped his hand and was holding two cards.

"Here they are," he offered.

"Show them to me," Sasuke ordered. Naruto looked from the card to Sasuke and nodded, crossing his arms.

_I haven't got a clue what's going on here, but I'll act like I do, _He stated, nodded and leaning in towards the cards.

"Okay, first up is Rock Lee," Kabuto stated as he put one card on the ground and put his index finger in the middle of the card and started to shift his shoulder so that the card spun. There was another puff of smoke and all of Lee's details were on the card. He had a picture, which rotated to show his front, left, back and right, above the hips. Also, there were charts to show his skills, a list of team mates, how many missions he'd completed and more.

"Hmm," Sasuke hummed, looking in further to see the cards.

"Looks like he's a year older than you guys," Kabuto observed. "Mission experience includes 11 C-ranks and 20 D-ranks. His squad leader is Maito Gai and over the last twelve months his Taijutsu has radically improved, but his other skills are pretty shaky. Last year he got a lot of attention as a Genin, but for some reason…he chose not to participate in the Chunin exams. This'll be his first time as a candidate, same as you guys. His team mates are Tenten and Hyuuga Neji."

Behind Shikamaru, Hinata's eyes widened at the mention of Hyuuga Neji.

"Huh? Hyuuga?" Naruto asked, looking over at Hinata, who saw his look and shrugged. She then looked at the ground guiltily as soon as Naruto looked away from her.

"Okay, now for Sabaku no Gaara," Kabuto stated, putting the card on the ground and doing the same as he did to Lee's. "Mission experience includes eight C-ranks and, get this, one B-rank as a Genin. His D-rank missions are unknown, though. Hmm, there's no more information on this guy. He was a rookie from another land originally, but there is this; he survived every mission without a scratch on him." Kabuto said as he pushed up his glasses.

"That dude's done a B-rank as a Genin and has never even been injured once?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief.

"What's the deal with this guy?" Naruto asked. Sasuke remained silent as Kabuto pulled another card from the deck, placed it on top of Gaara's and tapped it once. Another map appeared on the card.

"Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound, Snow," Kabuto counted off as labels appeared on the card to show each. "From the looks of it, they've all sent exceptionally skilled candidates this time around. Of course, the Hidden Sound Village—Otogakure—is small. It sprang up recently and no one knows anything about it. Those guys are a mystery." He stated as he looked towards the ninja who were perched in the tree around the time team seven met Gaara.

"Huh," Shikamaru grunted, going back to his lazy-mode.

"Well, you guys get the point," Kabuto said, placing all of his cards back into the pile. "The competition's going to be intense this year."

"S-So it w-would s-seem," Hinata agreed. "I-It's almost e-enough to m-make you l-lose your c-confidence."

"It's a fine time to start talking like that!" Ino scolded. "But…do you really think it's going to be tougher this time?" She added shakily.

"Oh yeah," Kabuto confirmed. "In the four years I've been coming, I've never seen a crop of candidates with nearly as much potential as this bunch. Yep, we sure have our work cut out for us." He sighed.

Outside the door, still standing lost in his thoughts, Kakashi listened to what was going on inside the room. He remembered all of the harsh words when he and the other sensei's put forwards all of their teams for the Chunin exams so easily after only a few month of training.

"I can't go along with this!" Iruka yelled. "They may be under your care now, Kakashi, but I know these kids. They were my students and I trained them. I don't know what you're trying to prove-"

"You know, he may be right, Kakashi," Gai interrupted before Iruka could go off on a full rant. "You're putting a lot of pressure on them. Why so impatient? I held my team back for a year so they could hone their skills and mature. Let them enjoy their youth a little longer."

"Ahahaha. Your concern is touching. You sure it's not just because you're sure that your guys don't stand a chance against my guys?" Kakashi mocked as Gai froze, then growled.

"All right, all right, that's enough," The Hokage cut into their verbal fight before it could turn physical. "The matter of the rookie's participation is closed. Now, as for the other Genin, I'm ready to consider your recommendations."

"I know what I'm doing," Kakashi confirmed. "You'll see."

_I wish I was as sure as I sounded,_ Kakashi prayed as he broke from his memories_. I wonder how they're doing. Even the cockiest of them must be a little scared._

Naruto was shaking, standing in front of Kiku. She herself was watching him with concern.

_It's not like Naruto to get so nervous,I wonder if theirs anything I can do…_

_**There may be something.**_

_What is it Karasu?_

She suddenly got the idea and smirked. _I'm so gonna regret this after-ward…,_ She thought to herself before stepping forward and raising her fists in the air with a war cry. This caught the attention of everyone in the room.

"My name is Kiku Karasu and my team is gonna beat every one of you!" She called out.

_**Heck yes! We're so dead...**_

"Hey! What are you trying to do, get us killed?" Ino screeched in Kiku's ear. She then turned to Naruto. "Tell your girlfriend to keep her big, fat mouth shut!" She cried at the blonde.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Kiku yelled back as she heard this.

"Oh, I forgot! You can't get one!" The blonde screamed.

"What did you say?" Kiku returned with just as much anger in her voice. They stared at each other, sending electric glares into the others eyes.

"You heard me!" Ino growled.

"Well, at least I don't throw myself at emo guys!" Kiku mocked.

"Sasuke-kun is not emo!" Ino defended.

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Boar!"

"Out cast!"

"Pig!"

"Loner!"

"Baboon!"

"Freak!"

"You ugly blonde!"

"You freaky purple-haired weirdo!"

"You're not even smart enough to think of a name, pig!"

"Shut up, Sasuke-hater!"

"You shut up, fangirl!"

"Make me, hag!"

"I will, Sasuke-stalker!"

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr," They growled in union, still glaring electricity.

"Yeah! Thanks Kiku! I feel a lot better now!" Naruto stated, placing his hands behind his head. Kabuto stared in amazement that one person could make such a big mistake, but his expression too became a smirk.

"That's the same girl as before, isn't it?" Kankuro asked as he stood with Gaara and Temari in the crowd. Gaara's eyes had remained on Kiku throughout the entire time and he had watched her outburst with interest.

"She sure is different," Temari mused with a smirked to match the brunette's.

"Wow," Tenten muttered, looking directly at Kiku.

"Well, she sure got spunk," Neji added with a smirk.

"She has passion," Lee agreed with a blush on his cheeks. Neji turned to him.

"Don't get distracted. Okay, Lee?" He ordered.

"You are right," Lee admitted. Neji, Tenten and Lee all watched as Kiku turned from her verbal battle with a red-in-the-face Ino and looked over the crowd of Genin. Her eyes seemed to pause on a team from Sand—where one of the boys on the team winked at her—a team from Snow and them.

"She has keen eyes to be able to find us all the way back here," Tenten observed.

"You heard what four-eyes said about Otogakure?" One of the male sound-nin asked his team, sounding insulted.

"I heard," The man with most of his face covered stated.

"I say that we teach this guy some manners," The only girl told them.

"Yeah," The man agreed. "Time we updated his information. Let him know that…if you insult the Sound shinobi, you better be ready for the consequences." He told them darkly.

The rookie ten stood in an almost circle around Naruto, who was quite content after Kiku's confident yelling about how he, Sasuke and Sakura would kick everyone's ass. Kabuto stood up from where he was putting away his cards and Kiba, who was next to Choji, tried to cover his laugh with his hand.

"Uh, can you say that a little louder?" Kiba mocked. "I didn't quite catch it."

"Wow Karasu," Shikamaru sighed. "Are you trying to get everybody in the place to hate our guts or what?"

"Hahahahahahaha!" Naruto laughed. "Kiku can destroy everyone here! Believe it!"

"You ready?" One sound-nin asked.

"Let's do it," His male team mate nodded, They moved quickly passed teams of Genin. Kabuto noticed them and Kankuro began to take the thing off of his back, but Gaara stopped him by holding out his arm. He looked at the redhead in question, but said nothing and simply replaced the thing on his back. The sound-nin with the fur on his back pulled up one of his sleeves, revealing a large metal device that covered his entire forearm. Kabuto didn't stop looking for them as he felt their movements due to the shifts in the air. Kabuto turned and saw the alleged foe, who was in the air holding two kunai in his hand. He pulled back his arm and threw them in Kabuto's direction, but they missed when Kabuto jumped back just before impact. However, the kunai turned out to be a distraction and the one with long sleeves appeared in front of Kabuto, aiming his arm to punch the spectacled man.

_They're from the village hidden in the sound_, Kabuto realized when the man's headband glinted. The punch came in, but Kabuto moved out of the way with speed too good for a seven-time failure, a smirk plastered on his face.

_Man, he's fast!_ Naruto realized.

_He's almost as quick as me_, Sasuke smirked, seeing another challenge in the exams. Kabuto's smirk remained until his glasses shattered, the broken pieces of glass falling to the ground.

"Oh, I get it," Kabuto stated, not worried about his glasses. "So it was that kind of attack." He realized. The man removed his glasses as Sasuke marched forwards, his fists and teeth clenched.

"Hand on, I saw it all," He frowned. "He dodged the attack. How did that happen?"

"It must've come closer than it looked. Che, look at him, acting like it was nothing. Real tough guy," Shikamaru snorted as he snarled in Kabuto's direction. Kabuto looked up and gasped as a sharp pain filled his whole body. His vision blurred more than it should and he fell on his knees, sweating as he threw up.

"What? Did he just…?" Naruto asked, not really sure what to say.

"K-Kabuto-s-san…wh-what's wr-wrong?" Hinata asked him in her usual concern for everyone. Everyone in the room watched as Kabuto threw up from the supposedly non-contact attack. The three sound Genin smirked as they stood in front of him, but Naruto and Sakura ran to him and kneeled by his left and right respectively to make sure he was okay.

"you alright?" Sakura asked, helping him up.

"Yeah…I'm fine," Kabuto muttered weakly.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked to be certain.

"Not such a tough-guy after all, I guess," The one who hit him without hitting him mused sadistically. "Maybe that's why he's on his seventh try for the exams."

"Write this on your little card, punk; the Sound Genin will be Sound Chunin when this is over, guaranteed," The spiky-haired guy promised,

"Back off ugly." Kiku growled.

"What did you say?" The spikey guy glared.

"You heard me, back off!"Kiku said, eyes flashing a different color causing the man to turn white.

"T-those eyes." He muttered before putting his hands up, "Fine Im not interested in bitches anyway."

"What. Did. You. Say?" Kiku seethed.

"Enough we are done hear." The sound-nin with the fur on his back said pulling the other one away.

Naruto growled also as he looked up at them, as if sizing them up and wondering his chances of survival. But, we all know that our little container is really thinking something along the lines of; these guys are dead! I can beat them! I'm gonna be Hokage some day! Believe it!

_I_ _don't get it,_ Sasuke admitted to himself. _He saw their attack in time to evade it. What made him fall apart?_

"Hey, Lee. What was going on with that attack?" Neji asked his green-clad team mate. Lee frowned, thinking of a way to explain it.

"There was more to it than just speed," Lee recognized. "Some kind of trick." He noted.

A large cloud of smoke appeared in the front of the room—the rookie ninja and the fight being situated at the back—and a booming voice called out through the masses of white and grey. He—for it was either a man or a very manly woman—sounded controlling and threatening.

"All right, you baby-faced degenerates," The man yelled. "Sit down and listen up." His voice ordered, still hidden in the smoke. The white and grey smoke effect cleared and it revealed a broad man wearing his headband as a bandana with the metal on his forehead and around twenty other men and women in grey uniforms similar to the ones worn by the two men who posed as Genin. The man himself was clad fully in black, from his boots and trousers to his jumper and trench coat. His whole appearance just screamed leader, and the two scars on his face only seemed to make him scarier.

"Huh?" Most Genin whispered, but everyone remained silent for the most part.

"It's time to begin. I'm Morino Ibiki, your proctor…and, from this moment on…your worst enemy," The man threatened.


	7. Written test!

"It's time to begin. I'm Morino Ibiki, your proctor…and, from this moment on…your worst enemy," The man threatened.

"First!" Ibiki yelled, pointing to the back. "You Genin ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Sound, knock it off! Who told you that you were allowed to fight?" He demanded as people muttered and whispered about how scary he was. "You wanna be failed before we've even begun?"

"Sorry, it's our first time," The boy with the fur on his back apologized, not sounding sorry at all. "I guess we're just a little jumpy, sir." He mocked. Ibiki smirked and turned to the Leaf Genin—meaning the rookie ten and Kabuto—with a frown before surveying the rest of the Genin in the room.

"I'll say this once and only once, so listen up," He called. "There will be no combat between candidates, no attacking each other without the permission of your proctor and even then, the use of fatal force are strictly prohibited. Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately. Got it?" A few of the Genin in the room nodded and muttered their answers while a good few of the weaker Genin ninjas just stood still in fear of their first examiner.

"Feh. No fatal force? That's no fun," The sound-nin stated. Several of the grey uniformed ninja behind Ibiki chuckled. "I have a feeling that I'm not the only one who feels that way, right, Emo bitch?" The boy asked, turning to Kiku.

"Pff, whatever. I'll just have to get you when your asleep and kick your ass then," She shrugged, glaring kunai at him. He only smirked.

"And while you try to kick mine, I'll be succeeding in grabbing yours," He said quietly, knowing that only she would hear him. Kiku gritted her teeth and tried to hold herself back from pounding him into the ground.

"Listen up, jackass-" She began, but he put his hand over her mouth.

_What the fuck? Seriously? He put his discusting hand... on my mouth. I'll kill him!_

_**Easy girl, we cant get tossed out.**_

"It's Zaku," He smirked then noticed a bird on her shoulder. Said bird caw'd loudly and pecked him really had. He hissed and glared at the bird, letting go of her and turning away before the bird got him again.

"Good Shikyo!" Kiku gushed, petting the crow who nuzzled Kiku's hand lovingly, but shooting 'Im giong to kill you then eat your insides!' glare at everyone else.

"Now, if we're ready, we shall proceed to the first stage of the Chunin examinations," Ibiki told them, seemingly ignoring all comments to him or other Genin made. "Hand in your paperwork. In return, you'll all be given a number." He continued, holding up a small piece of white card with the number one on it. "This number determines where you will sit." "We'll start the written test once you are all seated." Ibiki told them, handing the card to one of the uniformed ninja behind him.

"The what?" Naruto asked in horror as Sakura looked at the fear-stricken blonde in question. "Did he say…written?" He gulped loudly.

"Uh…Naruto? Are you okay?" Kiku asked in worry, Kabuto looking at the blonde with a raised eyebrow. One of the uniformed men pulled out a bunch of papers; the tests.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The blonde yelled out. "Put me in a fight! I can deal with that! Pull my toenails out one-by-one! I can deal with that! But not a written test! Anything but that! Really, I'll do absolutely anything! Believe it! Believe it!"

This made Kiku and Kabuto both laugh, "Oh Naruto you'll do fine, believe it!" Kiku giggled at Naruto's frustrated look.

* * *

><p>All of the Genin were seated in one of the larger academy rooms. Sitting in seats all around them were the grey-uniformed ninja, each holding a clipboard, and Ibiki was at the front of the room. Most, if not all, of the Genin looked nervous, but there were a few cocky ones who looked as if this was a breeze. Naruto sat in the second row, with two separate pieces of card with '53' written on them, one that was given to him and another that was there to show him his seat. Also in front of him was two pencils, an eraser and a sheet of black white paper. He chewed on his bottom lip nervously, so caught up in his panic that he didn't notice Hinata sitting next to him.<p>

I _don't even know where Sakura-chan, Kiku and Sasuke-teme are sitting,_ He thought, looking around._ I'm all alone. _Naruto grabbed his head in frustration. _Argh! This is already a disaster! He _whimpered to himself.

Sakura, sitting two rows behind her blonde friend and not knowing the location of Sasuke, sighed as she leaned back in her seat. She was careful not to knock the items on her desk, which were the same items as Naruto had in front of him. The boys on either side of her offered her a spare glance before they both looked away, blushing. They were no one she knew. Kiku sat a few rows behind Sakura, On the left of her was a redhead from the hidden rain village and to her right was a brunette from cloud.

_Waaaaaa Hottie is sitting next to meeeee _Kiku spared a glance at Gaara.

_**BARF!**_

_Pffft, the only thing you find attractive is other birds! EW! Im a human not a bird Karasu. Your in myyyyyy body so get used to the thoughts I think. You should be used to them by now!_

_**Urg I cant help it if I find humans, aside from you, repulsive! Your lucky Im not a Bijuu and tortue you!**_

_You wouldnt cause you love meeeee_

_**I thought you had a small thing for that Uzumaki kid?**_

_W-who N-naruto? No way! He's just a friend._

_**Uh huh... I sence something else.**_

Now moving back to Naruto and Hinata, the blonde was growling to himself too much to notice Hinata. She blushed when she heard him muttering some foul words, but he just sighed and went back to growling anyway. A cuss here and there was added into his muttering, but it was mainly just insults for Sasuke.

_He must've learned all those cusses from Sakura-chan… She's not one to watch her words unless someone actually tells her off for it…and even then she usually ignores them_, Hinata sighed mentally, thinking back to her academy days when Sakura was her classmate.

"Damn it…I'm gonna fail," Naruto whispered to himself, but Hinata's keen ears heard him.

"U-Umm…N-Naruto-kun," She murmured, getting his attention.

"Huh? Hinata-chan?" The blonde boy asked before his brain clicked into gear. "Ah! I'm sorry if you thought I was ignoring you, but I'm just worried about this big test thing and—I mean! I can totally do this, Believe it!" He assured, chuckling nervously.

"N-No p-problem," She smiled. "I j-just wanted to s-say…g-good luck and e-everything."

"Thanks," Naruto smiled back. "Good luck to you too and-" He was about to say more when Ibiki tapped some chalk on the board behind him.

"Everyone, eyes front," He commanded. "There are a few rules that you need to be aware of and I won't answer any questions, so you better pay attention the first time around."

"Someone sure has a stick up his butt," Kiku muttered, getting snorts of laughter from the boys behind her.

"Number 80!" Ibiki called. "Is there a problem?" He asked almost sincerely, but anyone with half a brain could tell that he was mocking the person he called.

"Nope," She replied.

"Okay, now that that's settled, I'll begin with the rules," Ibiki turned to the board and began to write on it. "Rule number one is this; the written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what some of you may be used to, you will all begin the test with a perfect score of ten points."

He moved away from the board, reveal the text he had written. It looked a little something like this:

Everyone starts with 10 points.

Example 1. If you answer all questions correctly, you will keep all 10 points.

Example 2. If you miss/fail 3 questions in the test, your final score would be 7.

"1 point will be deducted for each answer you get wrong, so if you miss three then your final score would be 7, as I have written," He explained.

_And if I miss 10, my final score will be zero_, Naruto thought desperately, though nodding in understanding outside his mind._ Well, at least I know where Kiku is now. _He remembered on a higher note_. She's four rows behind me! Or was it two? Three? Aww man!_

"Rule number two," Ibiki continued. "Teams will pass or fail based on the total score of all three members." Ibiki broke to them, causing gasps and worry throughout the room. Sakura banged her head on her desk before rising from her seat again.

"What?" The boy, number 81 from Cloud, asked quietly in shock.

"SO YOU'RE SAYING WE GET SCORED AS A TEAM?" Sakura yelled in horror.

"I have my reasons for this, so shut up and listen." Ibiki continued, making a mental note to warn all proctors about her.

_Reasons? What reasons? _Sakura asked herself, not really expecting an answer.

"Rule number three," Ibiki carried on. "The sentinels I've placed around the room are there to watch you for any signs of cheating." He informed them. "And for every culprit caught, they will deduct two points from their score." Ibiki smirked.

"Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp," Ibiki told them. "If they catch you five times, you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored, along with the rest of your squad."

_The dobe is going to make me, Karasu and Sakura lose…I just know it_, Sasuke growled mentally from his seat in between one blushing and fidgeting girl, from Grass, and one silent boy from Yukigakure.

"Anyone fool enough to be caught by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here." The proctor continued.

"I've got my eye on you guys," One of the sentinels, the one who posed as a Genin with spiked hair, warned two Genin close to him who looked bored. They stiffened and straightened up with gasps immediately after he spoke. "If you want to be considered shinobi, and then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be," He smiled sadistically.

_Okay, okay, relax,_ Sakura said to herself. _I know I'll be alright and Sasuke should be okay on his own… and Kiku Im not worried about her, she was a braniac in school so, even if Naruto gets a zero we could still get through, _She assured herself.

"One more thing," Ibiki broke her thoughts. "If any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails." He added.

Sasuke's eye twitched.

Sakura froze.

Naruto gulped.

Kiku sighed.

_Oh no! They're gonna kill me!_ He thought in fear as his mind envisioned him swirling towards a giant Sasuke, Kiku and Sakura, whose eyes were glowing blue and yellow and red in rage respectively. Each pulled out a weapon, a fuuma shuriken for Sasuke and five poisoned senbon for Sakura, and exploding tagged Kunais for Kiku, and growled.

"Umm…Na-Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned in concern when she heard Naruto whimper and mutter something that sounded like; 'I don't want to die'. She sighed and shook her head in pity.

"The final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period," Ibiki told them before Hinata could talk. She and Naruto both looked up in surprise. "You'll have one hour total." He said as the clock ticked.

Tick

Tick

Tick

"Begin!" Ibiki yelled, hearing a series of shuffling papers after his word. All that was heard throughout the room was humming, gulping and a slightly tapping of pencils on paper. Sakura looked at her test and smirked, seeing the questions in front of her.

_Okay…man, I forgot how easy it was to take written tests_, She laughed mentally, biting her lip.

_Eh?_ Kiku glared at the paper, confused for a moment but then figureing it out.

Sasuke tapped his chin with his pencil, knowing that he could turn to see what Sakura was doing without being marked as cheating and he saw no point in look at Naruto and Kiku well she was to far away. However, his thoughts of self-preservation got the better of him and he looked over to see if Naruto was getting anywhere._ Oh man_, He thought to himself. _This doesn't look good. He's just sitting there. He's gonna choke._

_Ahahaha haha, _Naruto laughed mentally and grinning to himself nervously. _What am I worried about? It's just a test. I've done a lot harder things, Believe it_, He believed confidently, picking up his paper and looking at it.

_He's moving! See, I knew I shouldn't worry_, Sakura sighed in relief.

_All I've got to do is relax and take my time, read through the questions and find the few I have a chance at answering. No pressure,_ Naruto assured himself. _Number one; oh, I see! I gotta decipher a code. Okay, hmm… Well, I'll forget that one. What's next?_

_Line B in the diagram represents the direction of trajectory of a shuriken thrown at ninja C by ninja A, who is seated atop a tree seven meters tall and twelve meters away_, Sasuke read from his test._Describe and formulate the trajectory required if ninja C were positioned at points D, E and F. Also predict the farthest possible range of the shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer_. He nodded. _Crap._

_These are intergraded problems based on principles of uncertainty and require in-complex mechanical energy analysis. Incredibly advanced stuff. Naruto doesn't stand a chance! He can't solve these!_ Kiku thought in a panic.

_Okay, skip number two as well, _Naruto thought happily._ Next up, number three. Hmm, interesting…well, there's only one possible answer for this one! Skip over! _He grinned, looking at number four.

_These problems only get harder as they go down,_ Sakura noticed. She looked over at Naruto and sweat-dropped when she saw him making faces, like puckering his lips and chuckling to himself, to concentrate.

_Huh…now that's…interesting_, Sasuke thought in irritation. _I can't even begin to understand any of these questions._

_Forget it…this is hopeless! What am I gonna do? _Naruto asked himself in fear of what Sakura and Sasuke and Kiku would do to him if they fail due to his perfect zero. _What'll I do? What'll I do? What'll I do? What'll I do?_

Hinata, taking her best guess at number eight, looked over to see Naruto in a state of panic. She decided to sympathize with him. Gulping down her concern for her won safety, Hinata made a decision.

_Okay…I'll do the easier ones my own. __Number eight is easy enough for me not to use up too much energy, anyway. It's obviously the same complex equation as its parallel side based from the distribution of kunai and the bad aim of ninja X. How much simpler can you get? Sakura smirked to herself. Hmm, number nine; if ninja A and ninja F meet and battle, jumping from point B to point E, and ninja D was three feet away with a kunai, launched at ninja A with a speed of 0.91 meters per second for a total of three seconds and hits ninja C at point G, what was the total traveling time of a senbon thrown at half the speed but from ninja A at point H to ninja F at point I, one hundred and three centimeters away? Explain your answer in detail and then calculate the traveling time of the senbon if it was thrown at ninja D by ninja F._ Sakura pondered before smirking and writing down her answer within the space of eleven seconds.

_**He's cracking Kiku.**_

_You can do it Naruto!_ Kiku tried to send mentally to Naruto

_Okay, don't panic, don't panic,_ Naruto thought to himself. _There's only one thing to do…I'll just have to cheat and not get caught. _He thought insanely. Ibiki walked across the front of the room and Naruto pounded his skull against the desk. _And risk getting thrown out with Sakura-chan and the teme? Yeah right! I CAN'T DO THAT!_

_It's strange, _Sasuke noticed as he looked at the closest sentinel. _They make more of a fuss about cheating than they do about the actual test itself. These sentinels…watching our every move…trying to catch one- _He cut off his own thought and sweat dropped when the sentinel he was watching wrote something down._ …Somebody just got nailed._

_I'M BORED! Hmmm, I could mess with the others a bit…like that Kabuto… _Kiku pondered finished with her test.

She inhaled and coughed loudly, her keen eyes trained on the stiff sentinel. As soon as her coughing began, he seemed to jump a little, causing her to smirk.

"Quiet back there!" Ibiki called back to her.

"No worries, Ibi-chan," She mocked. He glared at her and carried on walking as She placed her paper face-down and put her feet up on her desk.

"Number 80, explain your current lazing," Ibiki demanded as he suddenly appeared next to her, talking in her ear. Everyone gasped as his speed, but Kiku just blinked and smirked.

"Let's see…nope. I'm good. No explanations here," Kiku sighed and shook her head. The boys in front of her tried to cover their sniggers with their hands.

"Fine…just don't even think that this'll distract us so you can cheat," Ibiki grumbled to himself as he walked back to the front.

"Again; no worries, Ibi-chan," She teased. He turned and glared at her, but all Kiku did was smirk. As soon as he was back at the front, Kiku turned to look at the mysterious boy known as Kabuto, who sat next to Sasuke. He was, as she predicted, staring at her. She grinned at him then yawned.

_Why the heck is Karasu treating this like it's so easy? How come she can treat this test like a walk in the park and I can't?_ Sasuke asked himself in anger. _No cheating…again, they made a bigger deal out of that than they did about her rudeness and lack of respect. And, what's with the whole two point deduction? Why only two? It doesn't make sense. Ordinarily, if someone gets caught cheating even once then it's grounds for dismissal right there. _He felt someone staring at him and turned to look up, his eyes meeting with Sakura's.

She looked him dead in the eyes and nodded. Sasuke understood.

_"Anyone fool enough to be caught by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here," The proctor continued._

_"I've got my eye on you guys," One of the sentinels, the one who posed as a Genin with spiked hair, warned two Genin close to him who looked bored. They stiffened and straightened up with gasps immediately after he spoke._

_"If you want to be considered shinobi, and then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be," He smiled sadistically._

_So that's it. Yeah,_ Sasuke realized. _This is about more than just a written exam. The real aim is not to test our knowledge, but our ability to gather information. _He discovered.

_I think that my seatmate is actually getting the idea. Took him long enough_. Kabuto, who was the one sitting next to Sasuke and staring at Kiku, smirked as though he had figured it out at the same time Sasuke had.

_Yeah, that explains everything. The eagle-eyed sentinels everywhere, these incredibly hard questions, the fact that only two points are deduced for every incident of cheating. Very cleaver, I must admit. As Kakashi-sensei said; a ninja must see underneath the underneath, _Sasuke smirked. _He's not forbidding us from cheating, but expecting us to. He's daring us to try and cheat and not to get caught, and only exceptional shinobi could get away with it under these circumstances. That's what this test it all about. Thank you, Sakura. _He sighed, looking at a certain orange back in front of him. _Come on, Naruto, figure it out. Use your head before it's too late._

Naruto bounced his legs up and down under the table as the hand holding his pencil shook almost violently. His paper, still blank, sat untouched in front of him as he continued to sweat and his nervousness grew to an almost unbearable level. Tears of fear and frustration filled his eyes as he stared at the front.

This is bad. This is very bad, He repeated in his head as a sort of mantra.

_Okay, so if the real test here is finding out a way to steal the answers without getting caught…the next question is to figure out who's got all of the answers,_ Sasuke noted.

Gaara held his hand a small way above his desk, holding his pencil in his other hand. Sand swirled around the arm he was holding out as he called it to his aid.

_Looks like Gaara's figured it out_, Kankuro thought in relief from a few desks behind Gaara_. Okay, Crow…I'm counting on you. _He sighed, closing his eyes as a sentinel with black spiked hair and sharp blank white eyes looked to the side. The sentinel looked around the room, checking for cheaters.

Naruto pulled his hair as he rested his chin on the desk in front of him, only thinking about the continuous tick-tick-ticking of the clock on the wall at the front of the room. He was stressed over his—still blank—test and even more so over his lack of intellect to cover the appropriate blank spaces on the sheet. _Tick, tick, tick! _He thought in horror as the clock continued to make the unnervingly loud noise. _Oh man, they couldn't have a digital clock? Argh; time's running out! That does it…I've got no choice! I've gotta cheat! Hang on, I can't do that. What if I get caught? What are Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme gonna think? On the other hand, if I don't get any of these right, I'm sunk and I'll take them down with me. Either way…I'm dead meat!_

"N-Naruto-kun," A shy voice spoke out, breaking him from his panic ridden thoughts. Naruto blinked and looked at Hinata, who was—strangely enough—missing her usual blush.

_She's always blushing_, Naruto noticed. _Why not now?_

"I-If you want…I could…I-I could show y-you my t-test," Hinata told him, smiling kindly while looking down at her completed paper.

_Say what? _Naruto thought in shock as he ran over her proposition in his mind over and over again. _She'd let me look at her test? Why would she wanna do that? _He asked himself. _Unless, of course, it's some kind of trick. Yeah…I bet that's…no, Hinata would never—unless that dog-breath forced her into it! I wouldn't put it passed them._

"Na…N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata called quietly when he didn't reply.

"Hinata, can I ask you something?" He asked her. "Why would you wanna show me your answers?" The boy continued. Hinata gasped and clenched her fists slightly.

"Why?" She repeated. "Well…because…I-I don't w-want y-you to d-disappear," Hinata confessed, blushing. "A-And…it w-would be nice…if a-all of u-us could s-stick together…b-being r-rookies a-and all."

"That makes sense, I suppose," Naruto nodded with a grin. "I was just confused." He laughed, not noticing the shy Hyuuga clenching her fists. Hinata lifted her arm slightly and slipped her paper in Naruto's direction. As he was about to read the answers, a kunai flew passed him. It brushed his nose and caused him to yell out in fear of being de-nosed. However, the kunai kept going and placed a deep hole in someone else's paper, causing that boy to yell out too. He shook in fear and gulped. This boy was none other than the brunette from cloud who sat next to Sakura.

_Whoa…h-how did they know? I hadn't even done anything yet_, Naruto shook after seeing his life flash before his eyes. The kunai glinted and the boy next to Sakura stood up, facing the sentinel who had thrown the weapon at him.

"What was that all about?" He asked in a shaky tone.

"Five strikes and you're out," The sentinel replied cockily as his bandaged nose released a sniff of amusement. "You just failed the test."

"What? It can't be," He replied.

"You and your teammates will leave the room immediately," The sentinel ordered as if the boy didn't speak. Two more boys stood up with glares directed at their teammate and made their way to the door, but the shaken up boy just shook in place. Naruto shook too before looking behind him at the scared boy.

"Candidate number 78: fail. Numbers 27 and 43: fail," The sentinel stated gruffly as he stared at the boy who made his way out of the room with the rest of his team.

"No! No way!" A Suna-nin yelled to a sentinel as he and his team were failed and told to leave. "Who says I cheated five times? Where's your proof?" He demanded, slamming his hand on the desk and standing up with written rage all over his face. "How can you possibly keep track of all of us? You've got the wrong guy! How do you know I wasn't just-!" He was cut off when the boy was slammed into the wall by the forearm of the sentinel he was arguing with. He grunted in pain and his body went limp, but he was not unconscious. Everyone gasped, but Sakura rolled her eyes and frowned over at the boy pinned to the wall.

"Sorry, pal," The sentinel mocked. "People like me were chosen for this duty because we don't make mistakes like that. You can't even so much as blink without us seeing it. We're the best of the best and you, my friend, are history." He bid as he released the boy and backed off a little bit. "Now, get out, and take your team mates with you."

"Psst, Naruto-k-kun," Hinata whispered to him, calling back his fearful mind from the scene. "G-Go ahead…l-look." She permitted, pushing her paper further towards him. Naruto heard a tapping noise and looked towards one of the sentinels, who was busy writing something on his board. The sentinel looked up and smirked at him, causing Naruto to gulp.

"Thank you," Naruto said with a small smile. "I appreciate it…but no. After all, I'm an ace ninja. I don't need to cheat to pass this." He grinned. Hinata frowned, but nodded nonetheless.

"Uhh, well, o-okay," Hinata said, looking at his blank sheet. "B-But…a-are you s-sure?"

"Yeah," Naruto confirmed for her. "Besides, if I got caught or anything, I wouldn't want you getting into trouble," He sighed as Hinata looked down.

"Yes, you're right. Stupid of me to suggest. Sorry," She whispered while smiling at the blonde.

"Nah, forget about it," Naruto assured. _Yeah right. I should go to get my head examined. When did I get so noble? _He asked himself.

_Byakugan_! Neji thought as he preformed the right seals. He looked at the boy in front of him and saw right through his body, to his test. Smirking, the brunette took down the answers.

_Sharingan!_ Sasuke yelled mentally as his eyes swam into red and he smirked at his plan._ I'll try imitating the movements of his pencil. _The boy thoughts, looking at the boy in front of him. _Haha…bingo. I hit the jackpot with this guy._ He smirked as his hand moved his pencil in the same way.

Yamanaka Ino smirked to herself as she watched Sakura. She growled when she noticed that Sakura had completed her test. No way would she let Sakura pass when she, herself, might fail.

_Look at her,_ Ino sneered. _She's already finished! Okay, Sakura, you should feel honored. You're the first person in the exams that I'm using my clan Jutsu on. My Shintenshin no Jutsu_. The blonde smirked as she placed her hands in the seal for tiger.

Using the Jutsu, Ino had successfully entered Sakura's body. However, once Ino's soul left her own body, she slumped forwards and looked as if she'd fainted. No one around her paid her any attention, but got on with their own tests. Shikamaru, on the other hand, looked over to her immediately._ So, Ino's using her Jutsu, I see. I wonder who she's got, _He mused, although only caring for the scored at the moment. _About time, anyway, if you ask me._

_Way to go, Ino_, Choji congratulated mentally.

_Thanks, Sakura, for letting me hang out in your head for a bit, _Ino smirked in Sakura's body. _Now, I have to memorize her answers quick, so that I can pass them on to Choji and Shikamaru. _The blonde picked up Sakura's test and read through it.

"Number 59, you fail."

"Numbers 33 and 9: fail."

_That's the fifteenth team to be dismissed, _Kabuto noted as he frowned without his glasses on.

"Number 41: fail!"

"Numbers 35 and 62: fail."

Gaara ignored the world around him and all the yelling going on about 'not cheating' and 'failure'. He gathered his sand and covered his right eye with his left index and middle fingers. Ibiki looked at him, seeing how nothing phased the boy's perfect concentration. He frowned and narrowed his eyes, not seeing a single slip in anything that would resemble even slight acknowledgement of the racket. Look at this guy. Cool as a cucumber, Ibiki noticed. Stays focused as if nothing was happening. He paused and smirked. Not bad for a novice.

Gaara concentrated on the sand gathering in his upturned palm more so than he dared to concentrate on the room. The only time he stopped controlling the sand to see what was going on was when he heard a small thump. He saw the purple haired girl he had spoken to a few days before the exams—her name was Kiku, if he remembered right—resting her head on her arms. Gaara carried on with his sand-collecting. Tensing his hand into an almost-fist, Gaara made the sand become an average-sized eyeball with a brown iris. No one noticed this and he didn't uncover his right eye for even a second once the eyeball was summoned. The opening of the third eye, Gaara thought to himself as he saw what the eye saw through his covered eye. Invisibly linked to the optic nerve. The pupil of the eye shrank and grew again as Gaara crushed it into sand partials and had them travel the room until he found a person who had completed the test with sufficient answers. Once the 'victim' was found, Gaara added extra sand to the small amount and made it go in the boy's eyes, so that he wouldn't see the eye Gaara was using to cheat.

"Ow, I've got something in my eye," The boy complained as he rubbed his eyes to get it out. While he was busy doing this, the third eye formed and looked over the page, showing the answers to Gaara. The redhead picked up his pencil and, while using the third eye to see the sheet, copied the answers onto his own paper.

"Uh, excuse me?" Kankuro called, putting his hand up.

"What is it?" One of the sentinels asked gruffly. Kankuro took down his hand and grinned sheepishly.

"I gotta use the can. Sorry," He apologized. One of the sentinels got up and placed handcuffs around his wrists. Once they were secure, he also tied a rope to the centre of the cuffs to lead Kankuro to the bathroom.

"We go with you to make sure you're not up to anything," The pupil-and-iris-less sentinel told the younger boy calmly and strictly.

"That's perfectly understandable," Kankuro smiled as he was lead out. He caught Sakura looking his way and spared a wink, to which she replied with a scoff and an eye-roll.

"Security is pretty tight around here, but these sentinels aren't quite as eagle-eyed as everybody thinks," Kankuro mused as he stood in front of a urinal in the boy's bathroom. "After all, they haven't even realized that there's one more sentinel than there used to be." He chuckled. "Right, Crow?"

The sentinel didn't answer. Instead, part of his face crumbled away to reveal wood underneath his 'skin'.

_Only twenty minutes left and I haven't done squat, _Naruto worried as he watched the clock. _I'm so busted…unless…in five minutes, they'll give out the tenth question. So that's what it comes down to. Everything's riding on that. Believe it!_

Tick

Tick

Tick

Tick

Tick

"Hn. Now that we've weeded out most of the hopeless cases, fifteen minutes to go," Ibiki stated to them all. "Time for the main event. All right! Listen up, here's the tenth and final question."

_Here we go, _Naruto gulped, his hand tightening into a fist around his pencil._ Everything's riding on this one…_

_Hn…man, this guy's full of himself_, Sasuke thought as he looked at Ibiki.

_Tch…it's about time_, Kiku sighed, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face.

_Hurry up, Kankuro, _Temari frowned mentally. _What good is your cheat-sheet going to be if you miss the tenth question?_

"But, before I give you the question, there are some more rules that you need to be aware of," Ibiki stated darkly. The door creaked open and Kankuro stepped in with a smile on his paint-covered face. He paused and muttered his confusion when he saw that everyone was silent, facing the front and had their pencils down. The sentinel, Crow in disguise, walked slowly after him and Ibiki looked up with a smirk.

"Ah, made it just in time," He said in amusement as the sentinel behind the boy slid the door shut. "I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening."

_He's seen through the Crow's disguise,_ Kankuro thought in panic. _He's on to us! _He gulped as Ibiki smirked again.

"I think that you-"

"Oi!" A girl called from the middle. "Come on, he just went to the bathroom. It's not his fault if he takes longer than the average Sasuke-fangirl does." Kiku—who had yelled out—rolled her eyes. "The question?" She hinted.

"Right," He grunted, looking at Kankuro who silently thanked Kiku over and over. "Well? Take your seat." The examiner ordered gruffly. Kankuro paused, looking over at Sakura, before walking to his seat. As he passed Temari, he dropped a small capsule onto her desk, not slowing nor doing anything that might give him away. He then sat down and Ibiki took a step forwards, continuing his speech.

"These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you," He warned.

_If even the rules are scary,_ Naruto gulped._ Then what's the question like?_

"Very well then. Rule number one: each of you is free to chose not to be given the final question. It's your decision," He told them. Naruto looked up in shock, as did everyone else.

_Say what?_ Sasuke asked himself. _We're free to choose?_

"Whoa! So what's the catch?" Temari asked snappily. "If we decide we don't wanna do it; what happens then?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero," Ibiki smirked. "In other words, you fail. And that means, of course, that both your team mates fail as well."

"Who would choose to fail?"

"Is he deranged?"

"Of course we'll do it now!"

"Who wants to fail?"

"Should I do it?"

"I don't wanna lose!"

Many mutters and statements of this sort traveled around the classroom as Ibiki let them talk for the time being. One man—who had a funny, curly, bushy brown moustache in the front and looks scarily like Geppetto from Pinocchio—remained quiet at the front, just staring into nothingness like he was dead or planning dead. Freaky.

"Not so fast," Ibiki said quietly, silencing the Genin in the room. "You didn't let me finish."

_Grrrrrrrr! More rules? Enough already!_ Sakura complained mentally.

"If you accept the question, but answer it incorrectly, you will not only fail…YOU WILL BE BANNED FROM TAKING THE CHUNIN EXAM EVER AGAIN!" He threatened loudly.

_Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?_

_**What you said...**_

_Ugh Karasu this just sucks.._

"Hey! That's bull man!" Kiba yelled, standing up and pointing angrily at Ibiki as Akamaru growled. "That's ridiculous! What kind of bogus rule is that? There're lots of people here who've taken the teat before!" He stated and Akamaru barked in agreement. Ibiki chuckled.

"I guess you're just…unlucky," He stated in amusement. "I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course, if you don't wanna take it, you don't have to."

"Huh?" Kiba asked, taken aback.

"If you're not feeling confident, then—by all means—skip it. You can come back and try again next year," He told them, chuckling again.

_Great. Just, great. Wonderful in fact! I can't wait to begin! _Sakura groaned sarcastically as she gritted her teeth.

'_**Cha! This sucks! I want a normal test!' **_Inner yelled, flailing her fists around in anger.

A pencil dropped and the boy next to Naruto raised his hand.

"I'm out," He stated, standing up and lowering his hand. "I just can't deal with this pressure."

"Number 52; fail! Number 130, number 113, that mean's you're out too."

"Geni…Eiho…I'm sorry guys," Number 52 stated as the aforementioned boys stood up to leave with him. "I'm sorry."

"That's it, I quit!" Another hand went up.

"Me too, sir," Another hand.

"Yeah."

"I'm out."

Another hand and another, then again and again. Hands raised up and people muttered apologies and curses as sentinels took down numbers and dismissed the Genin. Many more walked out after number 52, Geni and Eiho. Many, many more. Naruto just looked at his hand, gulping and wondering what to do.

"Come on, Naruto. You can pass," Sakura whispered to herself, a genuine smile on her face. She then sighed and looked back up at Naruto's back, her face now free from her smile. She clenched her teeth and glared when she saw Naruto's hand rising in the air.

_No! Don't do it Naruto_! Kiku's eyes widened

Naruto gritted his teeth as he held his hand in the air shakily. Sakura sighed and shook her head in disappointment as Sasuke glared at the blonde who cost him his first Chunin exam. Hinata just looked shocked at his un-Naruto-like behavior. That is, until he sneered and slammed his hand down on the table.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run!" Naruto declared proudly. "You can act tough all you want! You'll never scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life!" He stood up, glaring at Ibiki. "I'll still be Hokage someday!" He pronounced, sitting down with a pout as Hinata smiled brightly at him.

_That'a boy!_

**Wooo!**

_Hn. He's completely clueless, but he's still going for it, _Sasuke sighed mentally, half relieved that Naruto didn't quit. _The shrimp's got guts, I'll give him that._

**'THAT'S THE KNUCKLEHEAD WE KNOW AND LOVE!' **Inner cheered loudly. Sakura agreed mentally with a smile.

"This decision is one that could change your life," Ibiki stated. "If, for any reason, you would rather quit…now's your chance."

"No way. I never go back on my word," Naruto claimed. "That's my way of the ninja."

"Well then, I admire the determination all of you are now showing, if nothing else," Ibiki admitted. "For those of you remaining, there's just one more thing left to do…and that's for me to tell you…that you've all passed the first exam." He stated with a grin.

Everyone sat in shock. Naruto dropped his pencil and blinked, as if to make sure this was real and he hadn't just fallen asleep. Sakura frowned in confusion, also blinking, but she was biting her lip too. After a few moments, she stood from her chair and slammed her fists on the desk.

"Hold on! What just happened?" She asked. "Where's the tenth question?" She demanded. Ibiki grinned again and chuckled.

"There never was one," He admitted casually. "Not a written one, at least. Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait a second!" Temari yelled from near the back. "So the other nine questions you gave us were just a waste of time. Is that what you're saying?"

"No, no, not at all," Ibiki told her. "Quite the opposite. The first nine questions had an important overriding purpose. To surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances."

"Oh, well that clears up everything," The sandy-blonde-haired girl replied sarcastically.

"Let me explain. You see, my objective was to test you, not only as individuals, but also as a team, and on how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis, so you'd know that everything you did—or failed to do—would directly affect your team mates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure."

"Mmhmm, yeah, I figured it was something like that. That's why I kept my cool," Naruto lied as he nodded.

_Yeah right. What a liar, _Sakura smirked. Hinata giggled next to him.

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult. In fact, as you may have realized, too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve," Ibiki continued. "I imagine that most of you quickly came to that conclusion; that you'd have to cheat if you wanted to have any chance of passing. The fact is; the test was designed to encourage cheating. It almost demanded it.

"Now, no one can cheat without having someone to cheat from," Ibiki carried on. "So I disguised two Chunin who knew the answers and had them sit in with you." He stated as two boys, one in the middle and the other one a few seats away, waved.

_Gah! The answers were right in front of me the whole time_! Naruto yelled at himself.

"What is that kid's problem?" One Genin asked as Naruto freaked.

"I don't know," Another replied. Naruto's ear twitched as he heard them and he leaned back, trying to act 'cool'.

"Oh please. I wasn't fooled for a second!" He lied. "You'd have to be a complete idiot not to see it. Isn't that right, Hinata?" The blonde asked his seatmate and friend.

_Incredible_, Kiku thought with a sweat-drop._ So the whole time…he never knew._

"Those who were caught at it failed," The proctor told them. "Better not to cheat, that to cheat clumsily." He added, untying his headband and removing it. "Information. It can be you biggest ally in battle. How well you gather it can lead to mission failure or success." His head was covered with scars, burns, wounds and all sorts. "There'll be times you have to risk your life to get it."

"Of course, you must always consider the source of your information," He said, re-tying his headband. "Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not always accurate. Never forget this. Misinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades, or the death of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate intelligence. Cheat, in order to survive. That's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded out, leaving the rest of you." He smirked.

"Okay, but I'm still not getting what the tenth question thing was all about," Temari admitted slowly, like she was talking to a child.

"You not?" Ibiki asked her as if she were stupid. "The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam. Surely you see that."

"Of course we do!" Kiku rolled her eyes. "…But explain it anyway." She added, clearing her throat.

"As I said before, the goal was to test you not only as individuals, but also as part of a squad. The final question gave you two choices," He paused and put one hand in his pocket while raising the other with his index and middle fingers up.

"And they were…," Sakura prompted.

"You could choose to play it save and skip the question, though it meant that both you and your teammates would be failed. Or you could try and answer it, knowing that if you got it wrong you would lose your chance of ever being Chunin. It was a no win situation."

"I get it," Temari nodded.

"These are the choices Chunin have to face everyday. For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission: to steal a document from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has, or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore, you have reason to believe that the enemy expects you. You might very well be walking blindly into a trap. Do you have the option of not doing the mission? Can you say that you and your comrades would prefer to fight another day? No."

"You're kidding me," Kiba whispered to himself as Akamaru whimpered.

"There will be more suicidal missions that anyone could count. But you do not think about it. You think only of the goal and of achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a Chunin squad leader. Those who chose the safer of two paths. Those who's determination falters in the face of adversity. Those who would put their comrade's lives in jeopardy, but worrying about their own. Those who would save their own necks at the price of sacred honor. Those people will never be able to call themselves Chunin. As for the rest of you—who answered the ten questions I gave to you—you have the right to continue on to the next step. You have passed through the first gate. I hereby declare this part of the Chunin selection exam completed. There's nothing left, but to wish you all good luck."

"All right!" Naruto cheered. "We did it! That's one down!"

A ball approached the window fast and Ibiki looked at it in suspicion. It crashed through the window and threw kunai onto the ceiling to pin a black cloth up behind it.

"Is this…part of the test?" Naruto asked fearfully as the 'ball' straightened up into a person.

_A show-off as usual,_ Ibiki sighed mentally.

"Heads up, boys and girls, this is no time to be celebrating," The person stated. It was a woman. "I'll be your next proctor, Mitarashi Anko. You ready for the second test?" She asked. "Good! Let's go! Follow me!" Anko then said, not giving anyone time to reply.

Anko wore a fishnet top, fishnet under shorts that cut off at her knees, a dark brown miniskirt with straps on the front and a light brown trench coat with a purple lining and black ninja sandals on her feet. Her legs were also protected from her ankles to her knees with white leg-guards and around her neck attached to a thin rope was a medium-sized dark blue pendant. Her hair was dark indigo and it was styled with messy bangs around her face and across her forehead—where her headband sat—and a spiky ponytail in the back. Her eyes were dark grey.

After her outburst, everyone just stared at her with a sweat-drop, a freaked-out expression or with a raised brow. Then some people, like Shino and Gaara, just looked at her stoically without a sign of life present on their faces at all. Ibiki stepped out from behind the black cloth, which read in white 'Welcome your next Chunin exam proctor; Mitarashi Anko!'

"You're early…again," He stated as Anko blushed and sweat-dropped at her own show.

_Great, a screaming nut-case. She's just like Naruto,_ Sasuke sighed, not looking forward to his next test with the woman he thought of as a complete freak.

"Whoa, how many are there?" Anko asked herself as she looked over the Genin in the room. "Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was way too easy. You must be getting soft." She accused.

"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year," Ibiki stated.

"Hmm, they sure don't look it," Anko mused. "Trust me. When I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated."

"More than half? Either you're deranged or we're not as strong as we think we are," Kiku shrugged. "…I'm gonna go with the first one."

"What did you say?" Anko growled.

"Don't pay any attention to that one. She's just bored and looking for something to entertain her," Ibiki sighed.

"Oh, she wont be bored during my test," Anko smirked.

"Bored? That's an understatement," Kiku scoffed, breaking Anko from her thoughts and snapping her back into proctor-mode.

"Alright, maggots! You've had it easy so far, but things are gonna be different starting first thing in the morning," She began. "I'll let your squad leader know where you're to meet me. Dismissed." She said, stating the final word mockingly.

* * *

><p>The next day, all of the passing Genin stood outside a fenced off forest with sighs posted all over the wire fencing that said things like 'restricted area' and 'keep out' or even 'danger'. Naruto gulped slightly as Sakura surveyed the eerie forest up ahead.<p>

"Whoa…nice place," Naruto said for lack of any other words.

"This is the location for the second phase of the exam," Anko stated. "It's the forty fourth battle training zone. But wee call it…the forest of death."

"Forest of…death?" Sakura echoed.

Giant bugs crawled quickly along branches, up trees and across the forest floor as birds of all shapes and colors flew around. One grey bird landed on a branch, but it was soon devoured by a giant snake. The snake ate it in one bite and continued on its way around the tree before slithering into the shadows to await more prey.

"Th-This p-place c-creeps me o-out," Hinata stuttered as she looked at the other Genin while pulling on the hem of her jacket. Anko had heard her and smirked.

"Hmm. It should. They call it the Forest of Death. And soon enough, you're all gonna find out why," Anko told her, causing Hinata to shiver in fear. Naruto pursed his lips, stuck out his butt and danced around.

"They call it the Forest of Death. And soon enough, you're all gonna find out why," He imitated before going back to normal. "You're not gonna scare me away. I can handle anything! Believe it!"

"So…looks like we've got ourselves a tough guy," Anko mused, speaking so everyone could hear her. She moved her arm and a kunai came out of her sleeve. Anko threw it and it passed Naruto, as well as a ninja from Grass, before it struck the ground. Blood ran in a small amount from the new cut on Naruto's cheek as he stood in shock. In a blast of speed, she ran and stopped behind Naruto. Before the blonde could even register what was going on, she was speaking again.

"Are you tough enough to handle this?" Anko questioned in a serious tone from behind him. "You're not afraid, are you?" She asked, taking hold of his uninjured cheek and looked at his cut. "Guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest." She mused as she picked up a drop of blood on her finger, something caught her attention and she twisted around with a kunai out. Over her shoulder was a woman from Grass, holding out the other kunai with her long tongue.

"I was…just returning your kunai," The woman explained slowly.

"Why thank you, good Grass ninja," Anko said with a smile. "You know, I really only recommend you stand this close behind me if you wish to reach a premature end." The woman added, taking her kunai from the Grass-nin, still holding a smile on her face. The tongue slid back into the ninja's mouth.

"My pardon," The Grass-nin said. "With the sight of blood and the blade slicing through my hair, I'm afraid that I just became a little excited. I meant you no harm."

"Likewise," Anko chuckled as she Grass-nin backed off and walked back to her team.

"My, my…what a cute little kunoichi. I bet a lot of people underestimate your skill due to your appearance," The ninja mused while walking by Kiku, taking a lock of hair from the bangs that hung in front of Kiku's face.

"Eh, I teach them not to get the wrong impression." Kiku smirked sadisticly, "If you dont mind taking your hand off my hair, my darling Shikyo doesn't like stranger's much."

Shikyo cawed loudly from Kiku's shoulder, glaring at the women. Her feather's puffed up and a glare on her face.

_**I agree with Shikyo. I dont like this women, there is something off about her.**_

_Ya got that right Karasu._

_Whoa, _Naruto thought to himself, looking passed Anko to the retreating Grass-nin_. I wonder if I could do that with my tongue. _He added, keeping a hand over his cut and sticking out his tongue as far as it would go. Anko smirked at the Grass-nin.

"Seems like everyone here today is quick tempered," She stated, "Must be something in the air. This is gonna be fun."

_Quick temper?_ Naruto asked himself, looking up at Anko with a frown and his hand still over his wound. _Sheesh! You're the one who threw the kunai at me_. He glared as Anko walked away from him. Sakura walked over to Naruto and bent down to look at his cut.

"Don't worry. This cut is nothing to fuss over about," Sakura told him with a smile on her face as he grinned.

"Before we begin this test, I have something to hand out to you all," The proctor stated, taking papers out from inside her jacket. "It's just a standard consent form." She assured. "Before the test, all of you are going to have to read over this form, and then sign it."

"What for?" The ever curious Naruto asked her.

"Some of you may not come back from this test, and I have to get your consent to that risk. Other wise it would be my responsibility," Anko laughed although no one else found this funny in the slightest. "Now, I'll explain what you'll be doing on this , this test will be testing ever one of your survival skills."

_Survival…how troublesome, _Shikamaru sighed mentally.

"I just hope that writing your name on the line isn't too troublesome for you."Kiku mused, walking by him after she got her paper. Shikamaru smiled a little and read the form.

"First, I'll give you all a description of the terrain of the practice field," She told them, unrolling a scroll that showed a map. "The forty-fourth practice grounds has forty-four locked entrances. There are rivers, and a forest inside. In the centre is a locked tower, located ten kilometers from each gate. It's in this confined area that you'll undergo the survival test."

_Oh boy…this doesn't sound as easy as I thought it would be,_ Ino fretted as she clenched and unclenched her hands.

"The test consist of," Anko paused, rolling up the scroll and putting it back in her coat. "Anything goes battle. The goal is…to get your hands on these scrolls." She told them. Anko was holding up one black scroll and one white scroll with the words 'heaven' and 'earth' on them respectively.

"Both of them?" Sakura asked her with a frown.

"Yes," Anko replied, placing the scrolls in each hand. "You'll be fighting to get both. A Heaven scroll and an Earth scroll. All together, twenty six teams will be taking part in this test. So, half of those teams will be going after the Heaven scroll, and the other half will be trying to get the Earth scroll. I'll hand over one type of scroll to each team and that's what you'll be fighting for."

"Okay, so how do we pass the test?" Kiku inquired.

"The entire squad must bring both a Heaven scroll and an Earth scroll to the tower," Anko told him, thus telling everyone else.

"So only half of us will pass, and that's at the very best," Sasuke smirked, liking this test already.

"No one ever said it would be easy," Anko scoffed. "Oh, and one more thing; this test has a time limit. You must finish it within five days." She said calmly, placing the scrolls back into her coat.

"Five days out there?" Ino cried out in a panic.

"What're we supposed to do for food?" Choji asked in the same way.

"Just look around. The forest is full of things to eat. There's plenty to feed all of you," Anko told him. Kabuto sighed.

"Yeah, but that's not all the forest has plenty of," He smiled despite himself. "There're plenty of man-eating beasts and poisonous plants in there."

"Awwww Kabu-chan, your not afraid of a few bugsy wubzy's are you?" Kiku teased with a large grin.

_I know you dont like this one Karasu but theres something about him I like, he's fun to tease too!_

"No, are you? You are a girl after all." Kabuto shot back.

"Oh yes I am ever so terrified!" Kiku mocked a girly voice as she fanned herself with her hand,"Please say you'll protect me Kabu-chan!" Kiku said with a purr, tossing her arms around him, making him blush. The grass nin from earlyer was watching amused.

"HA! I made you blush, typical." Kiku grinned devilishly.

"Tease." Kabuto muttered.

"You'll survive I'm sure." Kiku snickered," I can handle any of those man eating bugsy wubzy's and plants."

"Oh man," Choji groaned.

"Quiet down. That is why they call it survival, you know," Ino scolded the Akimichi boy.

"That means, with these circumstances, not even half the teams will get a chance to pass the test," Neji realized.

"It is summer. With the days getting longer, the nights are getting shorter, so we have less time to sleep and less time to recover," Lee realized.

"Man-eating beasts and plants are the major population in there and you're thinking about sleeping?" Sakura asked. "No offence, Lee, but you have more chance of surviving if you stay awake. It also gives you more opportunities to get a scroll."

"Ah! You are correct, youthful Sakura-san!" Lee gushed, causing Sakura to take a few steps away from him and hide slightly behind Sasuke.

"She's right. Will all those threats, there wont be any time to rest, so we have to work in shifts," Sasuke nodded.

"Right. This also tests your abilities to cope behind enemy lines. This is designed to be a grueling test, and I'm sure that some of you won't be up to the challenge," Anko told them. Shikamaru raised his hand and she looked at him.

"So, um, let's talk about this exam…can we quit?" The Nara boy asked her seriously. Anko frowned at him.

"Of course not," She reprimanded. "In the middle of a battle, you can't say 'sorry, I quit'…well, I guess you could, but it's probably gonna get you killed." The woman laughed.

"Oh, that's just great," Shikamaru complained with his arms crossed. "This is gonna be a drag."

"There're also some ways you can get disqualified. The first is simple enough. If a full team can't get to the tower with both scrolls within five days. Number two; if a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated and can't continue. But, most important, none of you, and I mean absolutely none of you, may look at the contents of the scrolls until you've reached the tower."

"What if it just happens to flop open and you read it?" Naruto asked in all seriousness. Anko laughed.

"Let me put it to you this way, young man; you…don't…want…to…know, get it?" She explained slowly.

"Argh," Naruto complained.

"There are times on a mission when a ninja will be asked to carry a secret document. The soul rule is to test your integrity," She told them. "Okay, we're done. Each team take your consent forms and exchange them over there for your scrolls." She said, pointing to a desk where three uniformed men were sitting. "After that, each team pick a gate, you you'll be let inside." She sighed. "Oh, and I have one more word of advice. Just don't die!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke sighed and walked over to a rock before sitting down, leaning on it and looking around. He saw that the uniformed men were pulling a red curtain around the desk so that no one could see. His left hand, the one holding his form, clenched slightly as he figured everything out.<em> I see how it is. We wont see which team has what scroll, so we won't know which of the team members is carrying the scroll and we won't know who to go after<em>, Sasuke noted to himself._ Stealing information is really a matter of life or death…it's just like Ibiki said. Everyone is equally determined to pass, and all of them are my enemies._

Meanwhile, a little ways off from Sasuke, Sakura was walking along while reading over her form.

"Well, well, well," A girl's voice from in front of her called. Sakura looked up and saw Ino with her team.

"Hey, Ino-pig," Sakura greeted.

"Grrrrrrrr! I'll have you know that I'm considered to be very sexy!" Ino defended herself.

"Yes, by people who are very desperate," Kiku smirked back walking near the two. "You'd be sexier if you had just come out of a blender."

"Sticks and stone may break my bones, but silly words can't hurt me," The blonde snorted.

"Sticks and stones will break your bones? Well, sticks and stones it is then," Sakura retorted, throwing a stone at her head.

"Stop it, Poindexter!"

"Make me, Sasquatch!"

"Maybe I will, Pink-stink.

"You know why people think you're bright before you talk? Because light travels faster than sound, blondie."

"Are you calling me dumb, billboard brow!"

"Yes!"

"Loser!"

"Have you considered suing your brains for non-support?"

"Hi! I'm a human being! What're you?"

"Any similarities between you and a human are purely coincidental."

"I'd like to see things from your point of view but I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass!"

"Everyone has a right to be ugly, but you're abusing that privilege, Ino-pig."

"If we were to kill everybody who hates you, it wouldn't be murder; it would be genocide!"

"I'd like to leave you with one thought...but I'm not sure you have anywhere to put it!" The girls glared electricity into each others eyes before huffing and walking in separate direction. Shikamaru and Choji just stood, still and scared, as the girls fought and left.

"Man, I am so glad they didn't turn on us," Shikamaru sighed in relief.

"Why do they hate each other so much?" Choji, who got so scared that he actually dropped his chips, asked his friend.

"Feh, who cares?" Shikamaru asked rhetorically. "Like I have time to worry about that stuff."

* * *

><p>Naruto was walking along, reading over his form alone. As he walked further from the others, a different form can into view, but this one was that of a human. He saw that Hinata was leaning against a tree, looking over her form with her clear lavender eyes.<p>

"Hey, Hinata! What're you doing all the way out here?" Naruto asked her as he came closer. Hinata looked up and smiled with a small blush painted across her face.

"Na-Naruto-k-kun! I was j-just…u-um…n-nothing," She stuttered, looking around. "Wh-Where is Sa-Sakura-chan?"

"She wanted to be left alone to read over her form, but then she found Ino and the two going into another fight. I left when Sakura-chan started throwing sticks and stones at Ino," Naruto shrugged. "Where's dog-breath and bug-boy?"

"O-Oh…Sh-Shino-kun is a-also l-looking over his f-form alone and K-Kiba-kun is s-somewhere," Hinata replied with a smile. "Oh! Y-Your cut…I…I h-have th-this…" She trailed off when noticing the cut on the blondes cheek, holding up a pot of healing cream, but Naruto wasn't really paying attention.

"Well, anyway, see you later," He bid, waving as he walked off. Hinata watched him go with a small frown.

* * *

><p>At Gate 12, stood Team Seven. The loud, the brooder, the fan-girl and the mysterious. Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Kiku Karasu. Yet another guard stood with them and Naruto was cheering for the team's success, even thought the outcome of the test was unknown.<p>

"Yeah! Believe it!" The blonde yelled. "You bring it on, enemy ninja dude person! I'll just send it back twice as hard!" He claimed, punching the air and putting on his 'fighting face'.

**'CHA! That's right!**' Inner agreed.

Although…Sakura was doubts about this part of the test. The feeling of anxiety just wouldn't go away and it was annoying the pinkette to no end. The guard at Gate 12 with Team Seven unlocked the padlock holding the gate closed and looked at his watch. It was just a few seconds until three o'clock, when the test would formally begin.

"Alright, heads up, you lousy maggots! The second part of the test has begun!" Anko stated. Gates all over the training ground swung open and the ninja waiting on the other side leapt into the trees or ran across the ground.

"You know who we're looking for," The woman from Grass stated.

"Yeah, those four brats," Her teammate grinned.

"Blondie, Brooder, Emo and Pinkie!"

"Alright! Here we go, guys!" Naruto cheered.

* * *

><p>"We have one main target. Stay focused on him," Dosu told his team as they jumped onwards. "If we can get to the other one, that's fine, but he is the one we must find first. The other one will be taken care of by him."<p>

"Right," Zaku and the girl nodded.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru and Ino looked out from behind the trees they were hiding near and, after checking that the coast was clear, they stepped into full view.<p>

"Ugh! Are you kidding? What're you doing?" Ino asked her big-boned teammate as he sat at the foot of a tree, opening a bag of chips.

"Just having a snack," He stated, taking a handful of chips. "I mean, I've gotta keep my strength up, don't I?" He asked innocently before shoving the chips into his mouth one at a time and at great speed.

"We haven't even been out here for five minutes," Ino complained.

"Yeah, come on, Choji," Shikamaru prompted. "We have a job to do."

"I can't help it. I gotta eat," He told them, turning around on his butt so he was facing away from his thin team. "This is my favorite flavor."

"You and your snacks," Ino whined. "This is a survival test, you know, Choji. You should have packed more kunai and less candy."

"Guys, quick, hide," Shikamaru ordered when he heard a noise. Team Ten quickly jumped into the bushes, away from view. Three Rain ninja landed in the clearing and looked around. Oh no, Shikamaru thought, spying stray chips on the ground from Choji's bag. One of the ninja made a signal to the others and they jumped away.

"Phew," Ino sighed in relief, getting off of the ground. Oh man. I've got to deal with five more days of this? Shikamaru groaned mentally. How troublesome.

Outside the forest, Anko was looking inside with her lips turned in a grin at the sound of screaming already.

"Hmm, it sounds like the fun has begun," She mused.

* * *

><p>Others who heard the scream were Naruto, Kiku, Sakura and Sasuke. They turned and looked in the direction it came from, all a bit on edge since they stepped into the forest.<p>

"I do not like this place." Sakura confessed.

"Oh, come on. It's nothing to be scared of, Sakura-chan. It's gonna be a piece of cake," He assured her. The boy stood in silence for a few seconds before turning and running to the nearest tree. "Excuse me for a second. I really gotta…you know." He told them, beginning to unzip his trousers.

"AH! Idiot! Don't do that here!" Sakura complained.

"Gross!" Kiku growled at Naruto.

"Why not?" Naruto asked. He took three seconds to realize what made Sakura different from him and Sasuke, in the form of looking from her slightly pink face to her chest. "S-Sorry, Sakura-chan!" He stuttered, turning bright red. The boy then zipped up the small amount he had undone and left to find a bush or a different tree.

Three minutes later, Naruto came back with a big grin, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh man, that was a lot. I wrote my whole name," He laughed.

"Ewwww," Sakura whispered. Sasuke punched the blonde across the face, sending him flying into a tree.

"Sasuke?"

"Eh?" Kiku stared shocked.

"What the heck was that all about?" Naruto asked, wiping his mouth free of a trail of blood and dodging when Sasuke tried to kick him. Sakura frowned, noticing the minor change in attitude, and kicked the boy's chin, sending up into the bottom of a thick branch, where Sasuke kicked his chest and sent him crumpling to the ground. Naruto got up slowly and rubbed his chest.

"Are you guys nuts?" He asked. "What's up with you?"

"Yeah, you wish. We just attacked before you could," Sasuke grunted, taking a kunai and leaping forwards.

"Alright then, bring it on!" Naruto accepted, taking out his own kunai and parrying with Sasuke's blow.

"Sakura!" Sasuke called. The pinkette nodded and jumped forwards with a kick, hitting Naruto to the ground. Sasuke went in for his own hit, but Sakura did too and they hit each other across the small clearing, hitting their backs into trees.

"What've you done with Naruto?" Sasuke asked firmly.

"What are you talking about Sasuke!" Sakura cried.

"No wait Sakura, he's right! Look!"

"What? What do you mean? I am Naruto!" He said desperately.

"Then where's the cut on your cheek?" Sasuke glared. 'Naruto's' eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

"I guess you didn't know that the real Naruto got a cut on his face before this test," Kiku smirked. "And you also have your shuriken holster on your left leg, not your right."

"But the real Naruto is right-handed. You're transformation skill is worse than Naruto's!" Sasuke accused. "Tell me who you are!" He demanded as a cloud of smoke covered Naruto. When it cleared, it showed a ninja from Rain in a full white bodysuit, a gas mask and goggles with his hair spiked and his headband tied around his forehead.

"Alright, you got me. So what? I'm still gonna take your scroll. Now, hand it over, or else," He threatened the duo. "So, which one of you has it…I wonder…"

"Get lost," Sakura grunted, holding three shurikens in each hand.

"Fine. I suppose I'll have to take you both on!" He charged.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" The Uchiha boy yelled, sending balls of fire at the Rain-nin. He dodged them and ran at Sakura, who got a kunai ready in hand for the attack. Sasuke growled and threw a shuriken at the man, causing him to switch targets, jump up and parry his kunai with Sasuke's. They jumped away from each other and landed on branches of separate trees, Sasuke clenching his teeth from the force of the knock-back. His pink-haired team mate's eyes looked right up at the dark Uchiha.

"Sasuke!" She called, pointing to where Naruto was. "I sense where Naruto is! You take care of the Rain-nin while I help him!"

"Fine!" Sasuke yelled, hitting the Rain-nin in the direction Sakura ran to help Naruto.

Kiku lunged into action, her eyes flashing dangerously as she appeared before the Rain-nin, Kicking him back towards Sasuke.

_**Heh its like ping pong!**_

_Ha! your right!_

"HEY! GET ME OUTTA HERE!" The Uchiha boy heard Naruto yell as he saw the blonde wriggling like a worm in his ropes. He was about to help him, but Sasuke saw that Sakura had already beat him to it.

"Idiot," The pinkette rolled her eyes as she cut the rope.

"Thank you," Naruto smiled, getting up and tossing the rope aside.

"You better keep you mind on the game!" Sasuke's opponent scolded as he turned and threw three kunai in Sasuke's direction. The latter jumped down from the branch he was perched on and held onto the side with chakra in his hands as the weapons lodged themselves into the wood.

"Dammit!" He hissed, seeing the explosive note on the kunai. It exploded, but Sasuke jumped away just in time. He landed on the ground on his hands on toes, rising slowly into a crawling position. Before he could stand, the Rain-nin was behind him with a kunai at his throat and Sasuke's eyes were wide in shock.

"Sorry; this is one test you fail," The Rain-nin mocked without a drip of sympathy in his tone. "Now, hand over the scroll or you die." He threatened.

"How about no?" A voice appeard, Sasuke came charging from the left.

"What? How are you doing that I had yo-" The rain-nin heard a poof to see the Sasuke he was holding turn into a look alike of the purple haird girl then it popped.

"what the?" The nin glared before turning to lunge at Kiku.

"Oh no, you don't!" Naruto yelled as the ninja landed a little way off from both him and Sasuke.

_Well, well…better late than never, I guess, _Sasuke thought to himself as he used his chakra to pick up a kunai with the sole of his foot. He kicked and launched it up into the tree, where the Rain-nin he was fighting had jumped. His eyes flashed with the Sharingan. Sasuke jumped up as the ninja span to avoid the kunai, but was too late to see the speed of the Uchiha. The latter was next to him, a kunai planted firmly in the Rain-nin's shoulder. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura all landed on the forest floor.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Naruto stated. Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw a kunai lodged into a tree and a burning piece of paper attached to it. He looked around and saw at least seven more. Kiku standing right next to one let out a loud eeeep as she jumped back away.

"Explosive notes!" Sakura called out in fear. "Let's go!"

Team seven ran as fast as they could, getting as far from the bomb as they could in the short amount of time they had before the bombs went off.

Sasuke and Naruto, as well as Sakura, landed some way from the explosion in just enough time to hear a loud 'BOOM'. The three Genin collapsed onto the ground while each of them sighed a breath of relief.

"That proves that we can't trust appearances," Sasuke told him solemnly, his head bowed towards the ground.

"Wait, where is Kiku?" Naruto wondered looking franticly.

"CAW!"

"Eh?" Sakura looked up and saw Kiku's bird, "Its Shikyo"

A voice groaned, the three looked up to see Kiku in a tree in pain, Naruto then hopped up and picked her up before returning to the ground.

"You ok?" He asked worried.

"Y-yeah.."

"We need to come up with a way of knowing that each of us is who we say we are, and not some impostor using a transformation Jutsu." Sakura and Naruto nodded.

"Makes sense," Sakura stated.

"Okay. The password will be a question, to which only you, me, Kiku and Sakura would know the answer. We don't trust anyone who doesn't know it…no matter what," Sasuke informed them. "Okay, listen closely, because I only wanna say this once. The question will be; 'When does a ninja strike?' and then the response is; 'A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike.' Got it?" Sasuke asked him.

"You got one…a little shorter?" Naruto asked lamely.

"No, Naruto," Sasuke sighed. "That's it. Are you too dumb to even memorize that?"

"No! I just thought it was gonna be a password, not a pass-speech," He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever…I'll take the scroll," Sasuke told him.

"Wait a minute, Sasuke, I—AHH!" Naruto cried as a sound passed his ear, causing an ache to develop. "What was that?" He asked as he, Kiku, Sasuke and Sakura all looked towards a wide cave behind them. Five seconds later, a blast of wind erupted from the cave.

"What is it now?" Sasuke yelled over the roaring wind. The Genin placed chakra in their feet to keep them upright. The wind stopped and dust rose from the force, causing them to split up. The wind cleared and revealed three ninja from Grass. The woman from earlier with the long tongue and her two teammates.

"Alright. You two fan out into the woods and keep your eyes open. I'll handle this alone," The woman commanded, looking around. Sasuke was hiding in a bush to the side. A noise form behind him caused him to get up and turn around, but all he saw was Kiku.

"Stop!" Sasuke threatened, holding out a kunai. "First; answer the question. When does a ninja strike?"

"Right…A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike," Kiku resided. Sasuke nodded and lowered his weapons.

"Alright," He muttered. Another noise was made, but this one from the tree above them. The boys looked up in just enough time to see their blonde-haired team mate jump out of the tree.

"Sup, guys?" He smirked.

"WAIT!" Kiku yelled. "Answer the question. When does a ninja strike?" She told him, pointing a finger in his direction.

"Easy! A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike," Naruto told them, smiling at his intelligence. Sasuke threw a kunai at Naruto, who had dodged it.

"Okay, who are you? I know that's not Naruto!" Sasuke proclaimed. 'Naruto' grinned widely and a snake-like tongue passed his lips, licking them.

"Aren't we the clever one," He said in the voice that belonged to the woman from Grass. A loud bang and a big cloud of smoke covered Naruto's impersonator, clearing to reveal the Grass-nin, in her black and tan outfit with a big purple bow around her waist and a conical hat perched on her head.

"I knew it," Sasuke muttered while the woman grinned.

"Tell me...How did you know? That I was a fake...,"The woman questioned as Sasuke smirked.

"Simple, surley you cant take us for idiots." Kiku deadpanned, looking annoyed at the women.

"I knew you were listening to our conversation from under the ground," The Uchiha informed the Grass-nin. "That's why I made the password like that. There's no way Naruto could remember something that long. So you had to be a fake."

"Tsk, before you impose on a teammate of ours get your facts strait, some ninja you are." Kiku scoffed, Shikyo cawing in agreement.

"I'm impressed," She smiled, extending her 's' like a snake would. "Looks like this will be more fun than I thought," She mused with a glint of mischief in her eye. The woman grinned, licking her lips with her long tongue.

* * *

><p>"Unum," Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes. He was currently upside down with his butt pressed against the trunk of a tree. "Okay, up-see-daisy." He muttered as he twisted himself into a sitting position, not upright again. "Huh?" He asked himself, looking around. "Damn! Where is everybody?" He asked himself in frustration.<p>

"Ugh Naruto... where are we?" He heard a familiar voice.

"Sakura-chan! you ok?' Naruto asked.

"Mhmm"

His anger was cut short when a shadow covered him and a hissing sound was heard. Naruto's mouth hung open as he looked up and saw a gold and brown scaled snake with golden eyes and a fork tongue. It was curled up, but at least three-times the size of the tree Naruto was crouched in front of.

"That is one…big…snake!" He yelled in fear as Sakura screamed. The snake came closer and Naruto narrowed his eyes. It dove for him, ready to make the blonde his next meal, but Naruto jumped away too fast. However, the snake wasn't dumb and it was able to catch Naruto, constricting him in a spiral of scales and tightening its grip. Naruto yelled out as the snake took him into its mouth and swallowed him in one bite.

"Naruto!"

* * *

><p>The Grass-nin took a scroll out of her back pocket and saw Sasuke twitch, wanting to run and grab it but being smart enough to stay put in the face of a stronger enemy. She smirked in realization that she had the opposite scroll to his Heaven scroll. She had the Earth scroll he needed.<p>

"Ahhhh," She said in enlightenment. "You want to get your hands on my Earth scroll, don't you? It would go so nicely with your Heaven scroll, right?" She asked, licking the scroll. She then lifted it to her pale, thin lips where she proceeded in wrapping her tongue around it and pushing it slowly into her open mouth. She swallowed and held her hand over her face.

"Wow lady thats totally gross." Kiku said with her nose scrunched up.

"Well, when this is all over, one of us will have both scrolls," She claimed. "And the other will be dead." The woman continued, looking up and pulling on the bottom eyelid of one of her snake-like eyes.

Sasuke and Kiku's eyes widened as they felt pain spreading through their entire body at a rapid pace. Blood splattered the ground under the two Genin's feet as their screams pierced through the suffocating air. They saw a two kunai's heading in their direction, but all they could do was kneel there with their mouth's wide-open, the kunai planted firmly in each of their forehead's.

Outside of the Genjutsu, Sasuke and Kiku's posture was the same, but without the kunai. The Genin fell back without breathing, as if truly dead, when they were suddenly freed from the Genjutsu and regained their senses. Sasuke took slow, steady breaths as he gulped and crouched on his toes. Is this an illusion? He asked himself as he hunched forwards and threw up the contents of his stomach. No…it's more than that. Her thirst for blood is almost palpable. The look in her eyes…I saw the moment of my own death. He realized in fear. Who is she…what is she? Trying to get up, Sasuke's feet slipped and he fell on his butt, only his hands stopping him from falling over completely. As he struggled, the Grass-nin did nothing but watch.

"K…Kiku," Sasuke grunted, while struggling to face her.

"Fucking genjustu!" Kiku snarled,"I hate them!"

* * *

><p>"Let…me…out…of…here!" Naruto's voice could be heard from a lump in the snake's body as it slithered along a branch. "I'll make you sorry you ever swallowed me you-!" He yelled as he stabbed at the snake's insides with his kunai. "Let me out!" The blonde cried. "Hey, wait a second." He said, reaching into his pouch. "Wouldn't you rather have this? I was saving this rice ball for lunch."<p>

Naruto pulled a rice ball out from his pack and held it loosely in his hand as he was squished by the snake and covered further in its digestive juices. The ball slipped from his hand and rolled away from him, getting covered in the same stuff as Naruto was. He watched as the rice ball dissolved into nothing.

"Wha-? It's all gone!" He cried in panic. "And I'll be digested just like that in another minute!" The boy noted as he was pushed further towards the tail of the snake. "No! Let me out! Sakura-chan! Kiku! Sasuke! Get me out of here!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke sat on the ground, shaking as he looked at the laughing woman in front. The woman who rivaled death at his game.<p>

"You're paralyzed with fear," She mused evilly.

_What's wrong with me_? Sasuke asked himself as he tried to get up, to shift his weight, _anything! Come on…move, Sasuke, move_! He willed his body, but it didn't listen. With a slow movement, his shaking hand went to his leg pouch and pulled out a kunai. _Yes! That's right. _He continued as he got up slowly and stood in front of the ninja, no longer shaking as much as he was before.

"Very good," The woman mocked with a sinister smile. "Now what happens?" She asked as Sasuke's eyes widened. _It's no use! I…can't…move_, He grunted in his mind as he watched the woman step closer. Kiku was shaking next to him too, growling in frustration from not being able to move.

_**Snap out of it Kiku!**_

_How Karasu! I cant freaking move! Tell Shikyo to stab me with her beak!_

"Don't worry. I'll make it quick," She promised, taking two kunai from her hip pouch. "But I don't have to tell you that, do I? You've seen what I'll do with your own eyes." She stopped a few feet from him as he shook even more. "I expected you to be more of a challenge…how disappointing." She sighed as she lazily threw two kunai's at him and Kiku, aiming for right in between the eyes.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe it," Naruto muttered as he was further crushed by the snake's insides. "Is this really how it ends?" He asked, remembering the few people who actually showed him anything besides loathing.<p>

An image of Iruka entered his mind.

"Iruka-sensei…"

The Hokage was the next one he thought of.

"Old man Hokage…"

Then the brat who called him boss.

"Konohamaru…"

Next was his sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei…"

An image of Sasuke came to mind.

"Well, some people I'll miss less than others."

Finally, pink hair and green eyes entered his thoughts. She smiled a smile that could surpass an angel's. Next was purple hair and amazing gold eyes of Kiku, smiling a heart warming smile at him too.

"I'll never see that smile again. They always put me and Sasuke's need in-front of their own… I think Im starting to Like Kiku too... almost as much as , wait! I can't give up! Sakura-chan believes in me and Kiku too! I know they do!

"And Sasuke…I never proved that I'm better than him! I can't just go out without showing her that! Sasuke-teme is my rival and I will beat him! That's it! I'm outta here! Whether Slither-puss likes it, or not!" Naruto yelled.

* * *

><p>"So, that's how it is," The woman from Grass smirked as she looked at the empty space in front of her and the kunai's lodged in the wood.<p>

Sasuke breathed deeply as he held his kunai in his leg. That was how he had fully undone the Genjutsu, since it was the only way he knew how without getting the user to stop. He gritted his teeth as he stared at the froze kunoichi in-front of him.

"Ugh... Shikyo you peck hard.." Kiku groaned as she rubbed her forehead.

"Don't worry," The Uchiha said, determination evident in his voice. "Nothing is going to happen to you…Not while I'm still alive."

"A desperate move…but a clever one," The woman mused, looking at the blood on the floor in front of her.

She sighed as she lazily threw two kunai's at him and Sakura, aiming for right in between the eyes.

_Move, Sasuke…move_! The Uchiha continued to tell himself. His eyes widened, as did the eyes of the woman in front of him as he swung his kunai-holding arm and drove the kunai into his thigh. This broke him from the after-effects of the Genjutsu in enough time to activate his Sharingan and move himself out of the path of the kunai. Sasuke jumped away from the Grass-nin as fast as he could while grabbing Kiku and carrying her bridle-style.

_He overcame the fear with pain_, The woman noted

"So…this prey is not so helpless after all," She mused in her own thoughts of the entertainment Sasuke's fight would give her.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called as more and more clones developed inside the snake. The lump in the snake got bigger and bigger until it exploded and the clones came pouring out. "Sorry, but you picked the wrong shinobi." Naruto told the snake's head. "I'm gonna be Hokage some day. If you think I'm gonna be a pile of snake-waste in the woods, you're not only scrambled-snake, but you're crazy scrambled snake."

"Naruto your ok!" Sakura yelled, covered in dirt and cuts.

"Eh? What happend?"

"I tried to get you out you idiot!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he ripped the kunai out of his leg and covered his pain-filled cry with a wince. He dropped the kunai next to him and applied pressure around his wound. It made the cut hurt more, but it lessened the bleeding.

_We gotta move. We gotta get away from her! _Sasuke panicked._ But how do I do it and…WHERE to go? _He screamed in his mind, unable to think clearly under all this pressure.

"Sasuke!" Kiku called out. The Uchiha turned to the side and saw a giant snake with it's mouth wide-open. Ready to bite down and kill the two Genin. Sasuke and Kiku both jumped out of the way just as the snake bit down with it's razor-sharp teeth.

"Unbelievable," Sasuke grunted as he jumped away. "I didn't even notice a giant snake…I'm losing it!" Sasuke carried on through the air as the snake curled around a tree. Thinking the snake was coming for him, Sasuke continued to fly through the air and away from it. But, in no less than a second, the snake directed it's gaze towards Kiku, who then froze in shock and fear.

"Fuck you lady! I hate snakes!" Kiku cried as the snake charged towards the kunoichi and she leaped into the air and away from it. The snake looked towards the girl, her eyes widened as she gazed into it's eyes. Instead of the snakes face, Kiku saw the image of a pale-man with sickeningly yellow eyes that resembled that of the snakes.

"No! Don't come near me!" She growled, throwing kunai at it and killing the snake. Kiku landed on a think tree branch, panting. Blood trailed down the wound that her kunai's caused the snake. Staring at the serpent, She gasped as part of it's head began cracking and something was rising up from inside it.

"I sense your desperation," The Grass-nin's voice sounded as the purple bow of her outfit showed from inside the snake. She rose further until she was full out, but her face was shadowed. "It's only natural. The pray must never let down it's guard, not even for a moment," The woman lifted her head to show a feral, predatory grin. "In the presence of it's predator!" She laughed manically.

She leaped forwards her twisted her own body around the tree in the same way the snake did, licking her lips as she got closer and closer to were Kiku was perched.

"Back off lady!" Kiku growled, eyes flashing in annoyance, " I hate your god damn snakes and your pathetic disguise! Fight like a real man!"

Just then a Kunai shot out, landing above the womens head.

"Looks like I came just in time!" Naruto yelled in the direction the kunai came from. Kiku, Sasuke and the woman turned to look at him, as he stood with his arms crossed and a grin on his face. "So, anyway," Naruto began from his perch on the branch. "What was that password again, Sasuke-teme?" He asked with a grin.

"Naruto! Get out of here! You don't know what you're up against! Get out of here!" Kiku yelled up to the blonde, staring at him while the woman looked at Naruto with annoyance flashing in her eyes. "Go now! While you still can!"

"So, Naruto-kun, you managed to escape from my friend," The woman mused casually.

_Hmm, I get it_, Naruto thought._ So that wasn't just any old random giant snake attack. The snake was sent by her…or it…or…whatever this demon is…_

_He doesn't get it…he doesn't know what he's dealing with, _Sakura noted when Naruto didn't move, despite the warnings. _What do I do?_

"Okay, okay," Naruto said. "I don't know what's going on here, but you've been picking on my friends and I don't like that! So you just better slither back into your hole, snake lady, before I make a pair of shoes outta ya."

_Huh?_ Sasuke gasped, perched on the branch of a tree not too far away from them._ Little idiot! He's just gonna get us all killed! I've got to do something…but what?_

_It's no use,_ Sasuke realized as he looked at the creepy grin forming on the woman's mouth. _There's only one way._ He submitted, turning off his Sharingan and looking down at the branch. "You can have it!" Sasuke called, causing the woman to look at him.

"Have what, Sasuke-kun?" She purred, looking right at him with interest.

"Gross" Kiku grumbled.

"You want the scroll, right?" Sasuke asked, reaching into his hip pouch and pulling out the Heaven scroll. "That's what you want, isn't it? Alright then. Take it and leave us in peace."

"Huh?" Naruto asked in surprise at his teammate's willingness to just give up. "Wha-? Sasuke! Are you crazy or what? We're just gonna hand the scroll over to the enemy? NO WAY!" He roared. "What's wrong with you?"

"Shut up and stay out of it!" Sasuke snapped, glaring at Naruto.

"What?" The blonde muttered to himself.

"Very wise. Very sensible," The woman mused. "Sometimes, the prey realizes that to save their own skin, they need to distract the predator with something a little more precious."

"Enough about this prey shit." Kiku glared.

"Take it," Sasuke bid, throwing the scroll to the woman. It soared through the air and came closer and closer to her when a blur rushed passed and snatched it out of her reach. Kiku landed near Sasuke, the scroll clasped tightly in her grip.

"Got it," She said to no one in particular.

"Stop being the damn hero!" Sasuke yelled. "Just stay out of this and leave it to me!"

"Shut up Uchiha." Kiku turned with an angry cry and punched Sasuke in the face, sending the Uchiha back. Sasuke used his hand as leverage and flipped himself onto a branch.

"Argh. Stupid fool! You don't know what you're doing!" He yelled in desperation, trying to get Kiku to let go of her pride and admit defeat.

"You're a fake aren't you? Your not the real Sasuke." Kiku stated.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke asked in anger at her 'stupidity'. "What sort of nonsense is this? It's me, you loser!"

"Liar!" She growled. "Liar. You may look just like him…you may sound just like him…but…there's no way you're the Sasuke I know! I don't care how tough of a fight you've been through. Surrendering…giving up the scroll…when did Sasuke become a coward?" She accused while Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"You who claim to be an Uchiha, do you expect to acheive your goal of killing that man if you turn into a coward and give in? WEAK!"

"It's sad," The Grass-nin commented, standing up and letting her tongue run over her lips. "It doesn't matter." She said, lifting her sleeve to reveal a pattern of two black snakes twisted around her lower arm. "As far as the scroll goes, I could simply kill you and take it." She noted, biting her thumb and drawing blood. The woman smeared the blood in the center of her mark. Sensing that his teammate was in danger, Naruto quickly drew up a kunai from his pouch.

"Let's see you try it!" The blonde prompted while charging at the women in full speed.

"Don't!" Sakura called, but it was already too late. "Naruto! No!" She yelled, trying to stop him. Naruto jumped up and poised himself to attack, ignoring Sakura's cries.

_Forget them! I'm going to have to do this myself!_ Naruto realized as he descended towards the woman.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," She said as strong gusts of wind surrounded her and made Naruto hover in the air. A giant snake appeared out of no where and the woman stood on its head as the snake moved towards Naruto, who had landed on the branch. It moved forwards and its head split the branch he was one, but Naruto moved just in time.

* * *

><p>"That is no way to treat a Buddha," A Chunin, who was standing with the two who had posed as Genin, commented as he looked down on the blood-splattered statue of one of the Buddha statues.<p>

"What'd you think? It's some kind of Ninjutsu, isn't it?" The one with a bandana asked the man with glasses.

"Whatever it is, it's a problem," The spiky-haired man commented as the glasses-man nodded. "Just when things were starting to run so smoothly, too. What a drag." He sighed, rubbing his head.

"We've gotta report this. Go get the proctor," The man with the bandana ordered.

"Right," Glasses nodded as he jumped off. In front of the men were three corpses.

"Mmmm. Nothing makes dango go down like a little red bean soup," Anko commented as she sat atop the office outside the Forest of Death with her legs dangling over the edge of the roof, swallowing her soup and eating her dango. She bit off a piece of dango and chewed it slowly before swallowing it and drinking some more soup.

"Nice," She smiled, taking another ball of dango off of the skewer. "Guess it's about that time. As soon as I finish this snack, I'll see how the little kiddies are doing." She bit off the last ball. "The quicker ones will be finishing at about this time. I guess I'll just go and meet them at the tower…There, a perfect Konoha symbol."

She threw her dango-less skewer at the tree trunk where the other fifty three sticks were. Now it formed a completed Konoha symbol when you looked at it from her seat. She grinned childishly at her creation and congratulated herself on a job well done. Only, not even she was sure about whether she was proud of the Konoha symbol she'd formed or the fact that she's eaten fifty four sticks of dango in under seven hours. A puff of smoke represented someone's arrival, but she paid no attention to them as she started on another stick of dango.

"Pardon, ma'am," The glasses-wearing Chunin said as he kneeled in front of the hut Anko was sitting on. "We have a problem."

"What sort of problem?" Anko asked, getting interested.

"Corpses, ma'am," He stated simply. "Three of them."

"Aw, I'm trying to eat here," She complained, chewing on another piece of dango.

"I think you'll want to see. There's something strange about them," He told her, getting the woman to look at him. Anko swallowed and placed a finger on her chin.

"Besides being dead?" She mocked in a serious tone.

Anko stepped forwards and looked at the ninja in front of her, a frown forming on her face.

"I looked through their identifications. Ninja from the hidden grass village," One of the men told her. "All three of them were registered for the Chunin exams."

"They weren't just killed," The man with spiked hair noted.

"All their faces…they're gone," Anko whispered, looking towards the blank patch were eyes, a nose and a mouth should have been.

"Yeah. There's nothing were their faces used to be. Like they've melted or something," He nodded. Anko moved her hand up to the left side of her body, in between her shoulder and her neck when she saw the big purple bow around the ninja's waist.

No doubt about it, She noted mentally with her teeth and her fists clenched. This is his Jutsu. But…why is he here? What is he doing at the Chunin exams? The woman swallowed and turned. "Okay, I need photos of what these three used to look like." She ordered. "Where are their IDs?"

"Right here, ma'am," The glasses-wearing man said, pulling three IDs out from under his arm. Anko took a look and saw that one of them was the one who gave her back her kunai after she threw it at a blonde kid. So, this is the face he stole, Anko thought. Had it already happened when…?

—

_"I was…just returning your kunai," The woman explained slowly._

_"Why thank you, good Grass ninja," Anko said with a smile._

—

"We've got big trouble!" Anko told the three Chunin. "Okay, tell Hokage-sama exactly what happened here! And while you're at it, tell ANBU black ops that they'd better get a couple of operatives to the Forest of Death. Meanwhile, I'm gonna go after these guys. Go!" She ordered.

"Right!" The men responded, leaping off to do as they were told. Once they were gone, Anko reached up to her shoulder again. He's come…he's here in the Hidden Leaf Village, She confirmed to herself.

* * *

><p>Naruto panted as he looked up at the snake and the woman on its head, who just smiled eerily down at him.<p>

"Well, well…what a tasty little meal you'll make., She taunted. "Careful; he likes to play with his food." The woman warned as the snake's tail came down towards Naruto's branch. The blonde was thrown up and crashed through three branched before he hit a fourth with a grunt of pain.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out as the blonde began to fall downwards.

"Enough play. Finish him off," The woman ordered as she watched Naruto's decent towards the snake's mouth. Naruto opened his eyes, red with the Kyuubi's influence. He twisted his body in the air and lifted a leg up.

"EAT THIS!" Naruto yelled as he kicked the snake's nose, sending a pulse through the creature. The smile fell off the woman's face as Naruto used the snake to push himself away from her and her 'pet'. It was back in an instant when she saw his eyes.

"But how?" She questioned herself. "It's impossible." Naruto leapt forwards with a battle cry and began an assault of fists and feet on the snake's nose. The snake just lifted its tongue and batted him away, but Naruto pushed his feet off of a tree trunk and jumped back towards the over-sized reptile. The woman smiled again as she opened her hand and blew weak fire from her mouth. Naruto was caught in these flames and fell back. He began the decent to the forest floor, smashing through branches. Eventually, the blonde hit a thick branch and fell no further.

"That fire in his eyes…there's no mistaking it," The woman grinned.

"Whoa…is that…Naruto?" Sasuke wondered unsurely.

_Things are becoming very interesting…, _The Grass-nin mused to herself. "Now then, let's see how well you do, Sasuke-kun," The woman said. The snake turned at its master's command and moved in Sasuke's direction, ready to strike, while Sasuke didn't move. An orange flash moved towards the snake.

Naruto was next to the snake with a kunai in its nose, while the snake was biting down on part of the branch Sasuke stood on. The woman just looked down at him with a serine and slightly amused smile on her face as Naruto panted from the speed he had to move.

"You're not hurt are ya?" Naruto asked. He looked up with his red eyes and a raged expression. "Scaredy cat." He said to Sasuke, who just stood in shock. Sasuke's eyes widened when he looked at Naruto's. "I guess it's our turn to save you…right, Sakura-chan?"

_Naruto…, _Sasuke and Sakura thought in union.

"Standing there, frozen like a scared rabbit," Naruto growled. "Kiku's right; you're not the Sasuke we know."

The woman's tongue slid out of her mouth and wrapped around Naruto's shoulders, then around his chest. Both the blonde and the dark-haired boys allowed their eyes to widen as Naruto was lifted up by the strong tongue and held above the reptile's head, near to the woman holding him there. He began to kick and flail about in disgust.

"Argh! Hey! Disgusting!" He complained as he tried to get out of the woman's hold. "Put me down, you freak! Let me go before I yank this tongue out of your head!" The boy cried. His threats fell on deaf ears as the woman pulled him closer by bringing her tongue into her mouth and she held him two arm lengths away from her.

_Extraordinary, _She thought in glee. _The nine tailed brat lives_. The woman noted as she made a seal with her hands and brought Naruto closer until they were face-to-face. "I see. When your anger is roused, some of the nine tailed fox's chakra is released," She stated as she held her hand near her waist with the palm facing Naruto. Purple flames lit on her fingertips.

"Let go!" Naruto continued, but she ignored him.

"What an interesting childhood you must've had," She mused as her tongue lifted his jumper a little so that she could see the seal around his bellybutton. "The spell that seals him in has appeared on your skin. Gogyo Fuin!" She called, slamming her hand onto Naruto's stomach.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto cried out in pain. Smoke rose from the contact and, when she pulled away, spirals appeared around the seal to strengthen it. Naruto's eyes flickered between red and blue until the presence of the Kyuubi faded and his eyes remained his natural color. He stayed still for a moment before going limp.

"Naruto!" Kiku yelled.

For twelve years, the seal has remained unbroken, The woman noted to herself. Soon the demon's chakra and the boy's will be as one. But, for now, he's just in my way.

"Get away from Naruto, you filthy, child molester!" A girl's voice growled. The woman turned her head in the direction of the voice, only to see Kiku. Her teeth were gritted and a scowl was prominent on her face.

"I was going to let him go anyway," The woman hummed as she threw Naruto towards a tree but Sakura threw a kunai that caught him.

"Your a fool!" Kiku yelled, "A foolish ninja!"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he flinched as he remembered another who called him 'foolish'

—

_"Foolish little brother," A man with red eyes said. "You can't kill me. Your hate's not strong enough. You're not strong enough. Your life is too precious to you. So run. That's right. Run away. And live in the shame."_

—

"No!" Sasuke yelled, his eyes turning into the Sharingan.

_Hmm. It's happened at last_, The woman mused. _His Uchiha blood has finally come to a boil_.

_I think I'll play with him a while_, The woman hummed._ I'll see the full extent of his power_. She laughed as her snake disappeared with a gust of wind and a great cloud of smoke. Sakura, whom had cut Naruto down, lowered herself onto Naruto's chest to avoid it hurting her eyes. Sasuke, on the other hand, just remained still and glared at the woman with the long tongue.

"I knew it. It's finally happened. His Uchiha blood has come to a boil," The woman noted as she and Sasuke both sank into a battle stance. "I think I'll play with him a while and learn the full extent of his powers."

_All I've cared about was surviving in order to defeat my brother,_ Sasuke thought as he pulled out a kunai and put it in his mouth. _What a fool I've been. I see the truth now. Naruto, Sakura. If I haven't got the courage to face this demon, how can I ever hope to have enough courage to face him? _He asked himself.

Sasuke charged as fast as he could towards the woman, but all she did was spread her arms and send a powerful gust of wind towards him. The Uchiha leaped upwards to dodge it and she looked up to where he was as he twisted in the air, throwing kunai at her at top speed. She dodged with ease, causing Sasuke to cry out in frustration. He kicked off of the trunk of a tree and sped towards her with the intent of engaging the woman in a Taijutsu match. His kick was blocked when she crossed her arms in front of her chest in the shape of a 'X', so he flipped over her and twisted his body to land behind her on the branch with his legs spread to move again. She pushed off of the branch and ran towards Sasuke; only she slowed her speed a little. Sasuke jumped up and tried to kick her again, but she blocked. He lowered himself and tried to sweep her feet out from under her and she jumped, but landed in enough time to block his punch. The Uchiha then spun his chest low and aimed a high kick at her face, but she shifted back and dodged while following through with a punch to his face. The Uchiha caught her fist batted it away, and then dodged to avoid a kick at his shoulder. She then jumped up and landed behind Sasuke, who turned and saw her moving again. Then, with speed that would make Maito Gai jealous, the woman ran around Sasuke, pushing off branches and jumped up, leaving only a trail of smoke to tell of her travel path.

_I can see,_ Sasuke realized as he tracked every quick move. He jumped out of the way when the woman hit the area he was and shattered the branch. I can see! He cheered, preparing his Jutsu. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke shot three fireballs from his mouth at the place he saw the woman last. Then, not wasting any time, he stopped and breathed fire in a steady stream passed his lips. The Grass-nin managed to not get burnt and, when Sasuke stopped his Jutsu, she ran forwards so fast that the branch cracked under her. The woman then swiped a fist at Sasuke, but he jumped back to avoid it. He landed a few feet away from her and went back into his stance, taking a deep breath to steady himself. The woman just looked at him with a smile.

"You're good", She admitted. "You anticipate my attacks and your aim is true." Her eyes narrowed. "You can see my moves, can't you?" The woman realized.

The woman turned and slammed her fists on the thick branch, sending a gust of air at Sasuke. He skillfully twisted himself to avoid the blow by jumping up onto one branch and then flipping back onto another. The air hit the branches he jumped from and split them from the tree. Sasuke jumped up and used chakra to push off of a branch above him, falling towards the woman. Sasuke grabbed her around the waist and she joined his decent at top speed, only she had her head facing the ground while Sasuke's head was pointed up. She yelled out as they moved downwards, towards a sturdy branch. The Uchiha noticed this too and held tighter, wrapping his legs around her chest as they landed heavily. Her head slammed into the branch. She shook and her eyes widened as her teeth clenched and her body went ridged and stiff. Her arms fell limply around her head and Sasuke's hardened face relaxed a bit as he let go and jumped back. The woman's legs fell as well and Sasuke's shoulders became less tense. However, then the woman began to shift and that creepy smile worked its way back onto her face. She melted into a pile of mud and Sasuke realized his error too late.

"Kawarimi!" He yelled. A kunai sped passed him and sliced his cheek, giving him a cut identical to Naruto's. More kunai hit the tree as Sasuke preformed a back flip to dodge. He leaped over the side of the branch and pulled out clear-wire, using it to swing himself onto another branch. This turned out to be a bad idea when the woman appeared in front of him and punched him between the eyes. Due to the surprise speed of the attack, Sasuke was behind the fight and unable to dodge a hit to the stomach, causing him to double over and leave a gap for another hit to his shoulder. A knee connected with his gut, sending him back, only to land heavily a few feet away from his stronger and more experienced opponent.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called, lifting Naruto in her arms and moving to the branch next to the one Sasuke was fighting on encase he called for her, or desperately needed her. Kiku was hiding somewhere for a good time to strike.

"What a disappointment you turned out to be," The woman said in a tone that clearly showed boredom. "Your ancestors weep. The Uchiha clan should thank me for killing you. Silly little worm." She insulted. Sasuke opened his eyes in just enough time to see the three small bombs he had placed on the back of the woman's clothing to explode, sending her to her knees with a cry of surprise.

Sasuke jumped up and away from the woman. Sasuke threw shuriken with wire attached to them around the woman. He held two wires in his left hand, two in his right and two in between his teeth. Using the wires, he controlled the shuriken so that they moved around the tree.

"Incredible," The woman remarked. "It's a Sharingan windmill second attack." She realized. The wires tightened at the shuriken landed in the trunk of the tree, tying the woman tightly to the trunk. When she was securely tied there, Sasuke preformed a short series of hand seals.

"Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!" He called. Flames came out of his mouth and set the wires on fire. The flames quickly traveled up and surrounded the woman in their heat and scorching tongues. She cried out in immense pain. The Uchiha released the flame and rested his hands on his knees, panting at the effort he had put into that fight. Deciding that Naruto was alright for now, Kiku jumped across the gap between the branches and landed next to Sasuke.

"Good job, Sasuke," She complimented. Sasuke grunted and looked at her eyes.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"Huh?" She voiced, looking at him.

"I was fighting her all alone," He began. "I needed help but all you did was stand in the sidelines!"

"Excuse me? You seem'd fine to me, if you needed me I woulda jumped right in!"

Sasuke glared at her, the Grass ninja broke free from her bind and stumbled forwards slightly. Part of her face, around her left eye, seemed to be peeling off. She preformed a hand seal and Sasuke and Kiku flinched in pain.

"No…impossible," Sasuke muttered.

"Such mastery of the Sharingan at such a young age. You're a true Uchiha after all," She mused, but as soon as she said 'mastery', her voice seemed to deepen into that of a man's.

"Yes, you'll do nicely," He mused, revealing his headband, which now displayed the symbol for Sound.

"AHHHHH!" Sasuke roared, trying to break the Genjutsu on himself.

"You are defiantly his brother," The man mused. "If anything, your eyes are even keener than Itachi's." The man chuckled and flipped team seven's Heaven scroll in his hand.

"How?" Sakura questioned while looking in her pouch when the Heaven scroll should have been. But, nothing was their except for her weapons.

"Interesting technique isn't it," The Sound-nin mused. "The ability to swap items in the blink of an eye…"

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded. "What do you want?" The man chuckled once again.

"Don't think I forgot about you Sasuke-kun," he said. "You're my main objective." Those words seemed to snap Kiku out of her daze as she gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into a fist. In one final, desperate attempt, she swung a punch at him. The enemy ninja easily caught it with one hand and used the same hand to pin the kunoichi against the tree trunk behind her. He looked intently into her frightened eyes and chuckled.

"You think you can defeat me?" He asked, not really expecting Kiku to answer. "Your pretty persistent, aren't you?"

"Get away from her!" Sasuke demanded once again, trying desperately to move.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," The man said while turning his gaze from Sasuke, then back to Kiku whom he dropped. Using a Jutsu to elongate his neck, the Sound-nin moved his head forwards and bit Sasuke on the neck, causing Sakura's eyes to widen.

"Sasuke!" She called, but it was too late.

Orochimaru pulled his teeth out, leaving marks and dots of blood. He pulling his head back to his body and his neck shrunk back to its normal size. Near the bite, three tomoe appeared, circling each other. Sasuke grabbed the mark in pain as Sakura stared wide-eyes at the scene. The man just smirked at her.

"You bastard!" Sakura yelled. "What did you do to him?"

"I just gave him a little parting gift," The man grinned. "Pretty soon, Sasuke will seek me out. The desire of my power." He chuckled as the girl glared. "In the meantime, I enjoyed the demonstration of the powers he already possesses ." He said as he sunk into the branch of the tree he was standing on.

Kiku lunged then grabbing onto him, the man did not expect this and she sunk into the branch with him and they dissapeard.

"Kiku no!"

Sasuke screamed out in pain, turning Sakura's attention back to him.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called out as she kneeled next to him and rubbed his back. "Are you alright?" She asked. The Uchiha cried out in pain again and Sakura pulled him to her, letting him squeeze her hand as their fingers intertwined. "Sasuke! Tell me! What's wrong?" She cried out in desperation as tears began to fall freely down her cheeks. But Sasuke just continued to cry out in pain.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm here," She said to the Uchiha. As soon as he heard her soothing voice, Sasuke went limp in her arms.

* * *

><p>Kiku held onto Orochimaru as they spun through some weird vortext before she was thrown out and landed on her back. Quickly she got up, staring down the man who glared at her,<p>

"You try my patience girl." He said.

"You'll pay for what you did to Sasuke!" Kiku growled lunging at him.

"Your no match for me little girl." Orochimaru laughed.

"We shall see." Kiku gritted before making hand signs, "Ninja art, Shikyo tranformation!"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, not knowin this move. A crow suddenly dove and hit Kiku who then started to transform, claws appearing on her nails and feet, eyes becoming birdlike, wings springing out from her back that were as black as the night.

"This form is called Shikyoku. All my moves I made up of my own." Kiku stated, her eyes were now tan with rings around them.

"No way... those eyes." Orochimaru stated in shock, "The Rinengan!"

"Is that what they are called? Mighty fine they are, I think its time I show you what power I have." Kiku said with a growl but before she could move another figure came in.

"Well, well, Anko-chan. It's been a while," He mused. "It seems like I'm running into so many old faces today."

"This is no time to reminisce. You're an S-class criminal," She said to him in a firm tone. "You've got to be taken down and it's only fitting that I'm the one to do it." She told him as senbon came out of her sleeve and she held them in between her fingers."Kiku, I'll handle him. Your team needs you get back to them." Anko said before looking back at Orochimaru, "Because, after all, you're the one who taught me everything I know. Right…Orochimaru?"

"Not quite," Orochimaru stated. She threw one of the four senbon at him with a grunt of effort, but he countered by launching his tongue at her. Anko jumped and avoided it, and it crashed through the branch she was standing on. She stuck to a trunk with her chakra, but was too slow to dodge his tongue and he grabbed her wrist, causing her to drop the remaining three senbon. Orochimaru then pulled her off of the branch, but she managed to get a grip on the branch below before he could pull her towards him. Kiku took that time to return to normal, annoyed she couldnt fight, but she took off none the less.

"Sen'eijashu!" Anko called, holding her hand with her fingers pointed right at him.

Four green snakes came out of her sleeve and twisted around her arm before leaping towards Orochimaru, still with the end of their bodies in her sleeve. The snakes latched onto the areas around where Orochimaru had situated himself and Anko tugged her arm.

"Come out of there!" She yelled, pulling the trunk apart and thus bringing Orochimaru into the open. He was pulled towards her and she moved her arms so that the snakes slammed him into the trunk behind her. She then called the snakes back into her sleeve and held his hand to the wood, plunging a kunai to hold him there, but the kunai went through her own hand as well. Anko flinched and took a deep breath with Orochimaru eyed her curiously.

"Heh…I gotcha," She muttered. "Now then, let me just borrow your left hand." The woman said, taking up his free hand. Her index and little fingers pointed upwards while his fingers curled around her knuckles and his visible eye widened. That hand sign…, He realized, allowing his eye to widen before he narrowed it in Anko's direction.

"Right," She smirked. "It's over. You and I are going to die here." Anko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Sojasosai no Jutsu, She thought, not even being able to say it out loud. Upon hearing Orochimaru chuckle, her eyes widened.

"I'm afraid you'll die alone, Anko-chan," He mused, rising from the branch behind her. She turned slowly to look at him as he pulled off the melted face, revealing his own pale skin. "That's right…Kawarimi." The man said as the sun began to set. Anko, in a panic, looked to the body she was holding, only to see it melt into a pile of mud.

"No," She whispered. Orochimaru laughed sadistically as Anko's hopes melted away with the substitution, and she looked down with her eyes closed.

"Of course. You're one of the elite now," Orochimaru stated. "A righteous warrior. How naughty of you to be using the forbidden Jutsu I taught to you." He continued as he stepped closer to her. Anko pulled the kunai out of her hand and turned around, throwing the weapon at him. He just caught it between his middle and index fingers. "It won't work on me, Anko-chan." He used one hand to use the tiger seal and Anko froze in pain while Orochimaru dropped her kunai and calmly walked over to her.

"Why are you here?" She asked through labored breaths.

"Argh," Anko groaned, holding her neck and sinking to her knees in pain while sweat trickled down her face. Orochimaru didn't seem at all phased by her hurting, but rather that he was entertained.

"Aw, it's the mark, isn't it?" He remarked with a grin. "I put that same mark on a young man a little while ago. He's a very promising prospect and no one should steal him away from me."

"You haven't changed, I see," Anko spat. "He'll die before he serves you!"

"Very possibly," Orochimaru chuckled. "I'd say the odds are…one in ten against him. The kid may survive, as you did."

"Sounds like you want him badly, huh?" She commented. The woman gasped when Orochimaru placed his hand on her cheek and rubbed it gently.

"Ah…jealous," He smirked, still rubbing her cheek. "Is that it? You can't forgive me, can you? For using you and then tossing you aside." The man stopped rubbing her cheek and removed his hand. "In some way, the boy has even more potential than you had. You see, he's inherited the sublime abilities of the Uchiha clan. And his physical condition is excellent. He might just be the one I'm looking for. At the very least, he makes things interesting." He said, standing up. "Whatever happens, make sure no one stops the exams early. Three of my followers are also candidates. I look forward to seeing how they do." He stated, walking away.


	8. Forrest of death! Preliminaries part 1

Kiku stayed on Shikyo, eyes droopy from the venom, but she knew Karasu was trying to get it cleared.

_That snake man, said that I had the Rinnengan. Is that why my eyes look different? Is it like Sasuke's bloodline, the Sharingan? If thats so then what can the Rinnengan do and who was my family?_

A flash of an image of a smiling boy with purple hair and the same eyes flashed in her head. He smiled down to her, _"Don't worry Kiku, Big brother is hear to protect you."_

_Thats the only thing I can remember... I was just a baby, but with Karasu in me he held onto that memory for me. He knew I would need it and that my brother and I would be seperated._

Another image flashed in her head, one of her when she was 3. Stumbling in a forrest covered in wounds, tattered cloths and skinny body from lack of nuitrition. She stumbled upon a man with long black hair and coal black eyes. He wore a strange outfit that she remembered as an Anbu outfit.

_"Who are you? Where did you come from?" The man had asked._

_"K-kiku." Was the only thing that fell from her lips as she collapsed forward, the man catching him._

_"Where is your family?" He asked again._

_"D-dead"_

_"Hn, dont worry, I'll take you to my village Konoha. My name is Itachi Uchiha." the man had said before everything went black._

Kiku glared into the tree's at this memory, she still didnt remember what happend to the boy that had had her before, her brother.

_I cant let anyone know about me. It has to stay hidden. If brother was killed along with everyone else, then I am the only one left with the Rinnengan. I need to keep it quiet that I have it._

_**Use it only for serious fights, emergencies.**_

_Ok Karasu._

Kiku had a bad feelng that something bad was gunna happen to her team and she knew she just had to get there!

"Ah!" Kiku let out a yell of surprise when she felt something like sand wrap around her ankle and swing her through the air off of Shikyo, before slamming her into the ground.

"Ow what the hell!" Kiku growled, holding her head as she looked around only to see the sand siblings,"What do you guys want? Seriously Im buisy! First that fucking snake pedo Orochimaru now this! I dont have time for this!"

"Give us your scroll." The blonde from before said.

"Tsk, even if I had it I wouldn't give it to you, as if. Quit staring at me sandman!" Kiku growled at Gaara, "You may be hot but I dont have any time to deal with this."

"Kankuro, Temari. This one is mine." Gaara said emotionlessly. His siblings nodded before backing off.

"Looky hear peanut. I know what your issue is, poor you having a demon inside of him and being shunned from your village and hated by all. Boo freaking hoo, your not the only person in the world with a demon in them. Naruto has one, the most powerful one at that. He was shunned from the village, hated by all almost but he didn't let his hatred take over him. He still tried to stay as normal as possible." Kiku stated.

"How did you know?" Temari gasped.

"Easy, Karasu told me." Kiku said.

"Karasu?" Kankuro pondered.

"Yes, Karasu." Kiku said annoyed.

"Isn't that your last name?" Temari questioned.

"Yes. Sort of. You see I was an orphan found in the woods near Kanoha, My memory from before is gone and a ninja took me into the village. Since I could only remember my name and that I had a demon inside of me I named myself after him. He was and is my first friend and has helped me since I was small to survive. Karasu, a powerful crow demon." Kiku stated," Though, I may have a demon but he isnt vicious like yours. Shukaku."

Gaara just stood there, glaring at her. His eyes cold and caculating.

"I see you wont let me be. Fine then, I'll show you what I can do." Kiku said glaring.

_**Kiku, don't, there is something wrong hear. I think you ticked him off. Blabber mouth!**_

_I can't help it, also I dont want to fight them but they leave me no choice. I have to hurry and get to my team!_

Kiku took a stance and glared Gaara strait in the eye, "Well then?"

"Kankuro, Temari we are leaving." Gaara said.

"What? B-but Gaara!" Kankuro stuttered out.

"Dont question me." Gaara growled before turning and walking off.

"Well, that was unexpected." Kiku muttered to herself.

"Next time I see you, your mine." Kiku heard Gaara say over his shoulder.

"Heh, look forward to it." Kiku smirked before jumping back onto Shikyo.

"Im comeing guys!"

* * *

><p>Sakura sat panting, her head stung from pain, cuts and scratches were all over her body. Her eyes searched the scene before her, the sound team stood before them, Lee on the floor nocked out, Naruto was nocked out as well. Sasuke however, stood before them, Raging purple chakra swirled around him as black marking's appeard around his body. His Sharingan blazed to life as an aura of murderous intent swam over the clearing.<p>

"Sakura," His voice was deep and malicious, "Who did this to you?"

"S-sasuke..." Sakura stuttered, Her eyes flickered to the sound nin.

"Heh, that'd be us." The one with spiked hair known as Zaku said.

"This power…flowing through me," He mumbled. "It…it feels amazing!"

"Sasuke…? Sakura…?" Ino whispered in worry for the two.

"In fact, I've never felt better. He gave me this gift, and he made me understand what I am," Sasuke said, obviously speaking to everyone who was listening of Orochimaru. "I am an avenger. To follow my path, I must have power. At any price, even if it means being consumed by evil."

_Now I see,_ Dosu thought in shock._ He has the curse seal_.

"But…," The Uchiha trailed off, dropping his hands while keeping head in a downward position. "He said…if I wish to keep this power…I must kill you!"

Sasuke lifted his head and glared viciously at Zaku as the marks on his body continued to grow and cover more skin. Dosu looked on his shock and fear as the boy's aura turned darker and more menacing by the second.

"Wh-What is this?" He voiced. This changes everything_. His chakra is too big. He's too powerful! We can't fight that! Only a complete idiot would dare to go up against him!_

"Just try it!" Zaku dared. Sasuke and Zaku darted at each other at such a great speed, that it would take the Sharingan eyes to be able to keep up with it all. They clashed into each other attempting to injure one other with Taijutsu skills. But, both of the Genin's were too powerful to even make a mark. They paused. Each on the other side of the clearing. Glaring dagger's at each other as each got a kunai ready in hand.

Sasuke was the first to make a move. He sped forward, Swinging the kunai forward, Sasuke attempted to slice the throat of the sound nin. But, in the last second, Zaku brought his own kunai up and their weapon's clashed. With shaky arms, Sasuke and Zaku put pressure into each of their connected weapons, trying to slice one other to death.

"Give it up Sakura," Sasuke hissed with a smirk while applying more pressure into his kunai. Temporarily taking over. "You and I both know your not strong enough to defeat me."

Seeing as this wasn't going anywhere, Saskuke flipped over Zaku, sucsessfully grabbing Zaku's arms around his back, yanking hard.

"I think you need to loose these." Sasuke smirked as he continued to pull, Zaku let out an agonized scream as you could hear his shoulder's begin to crack. Suddenly Sasuke kicked Zaku forward, before turning to Sakura, "your next.

"W-What?" Sakura whispered in shock . Sasuke smirked as he lunged at her too, she was too shocked to move as he hit her back, appearing behind her and getting her into the same hold

"…S-Stop…P-P-Please…Stop it!" Sakura exclaimed as she looked at the Uchiha pain evident on her face.

"Sasuke!" A new voice entered as everyone could see Kiku fly acrossed the feild, latching onto the crazed Uchiha, "Stop Sasuke! Stop it! This is not you, your not a murderer!"

"She must die..." Sasuke grinned sadisticly.

"No! You mustn't do it Sasuke! Your not a murderer, your not your brother!" Kiku yelled, hugging the uchiha to her.

Sasuke's eyes widened at this, letting the man go before going limp in Kiku's hold.

"You both are incredibly strong," he said while holding his scroll in one hand. "Here's a gift to you." Dosu stated as he placed the scroll down onto the ground. Dosu then proceeded to lifting up Zaku, lifting one of his useless arms over his shoulder and supporting him with one arm as Kin walked up beside him. "This may seem convenient but, there is something we must find out now. But I will promise you this...If there is another situation where we will meet in this exam...we will neither run nor hide." With that said, the Oto-nin began heading there way out of the clearing.

"Wait!" Sakura called out before they could get to far. Dosu paused and looked back at Sakura. "What happened to me and Sasuke? And who is this Orochimaru? What does he want with Sasuke?"

"I don't know…," Dosu admitted sincerely. "We were merely ordered to kill Sasuke…" Without another word, the three Genin disappeared into the forest.

Sasuke grasped his shaking hand with his other one. Staring at it with wide and disgusted eyes.

"W-What's happened to me?" he asked himself. "What am I? What…what did I almost do?"

Sakura stared at Sasuke, not knowing what to say at the moment. For she was just as confused as the Uchiha was.

"Choji and I will check on the kid," The lazy genius said as he and his chubby friend went to inspect the sleeping knuckle-head on the floor.

Ino nodded, going to help the Sakura. Neji and Tenten had came into the scene when Dosu and his team departed and were currently watching from the tree as Shikamaru and Choji slowly moved towards the orange-clad ninja. The brunette narrowed her eyes at her unconscious teammate.

"Sakura-chan's in danger…I'll protect her," Naruto muttered in his sleep with a blush and a goofy expression on his face. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, it'll be okay, I'll save you."

"Whoa, somebody ought to kick him and wake him up," Shikamaru stated lazily as he looked down at Naruto. "This guy's embarrassing; I don't know how Sakura can stand him."

"Can I kick him first?" Choji requested slyly.

Naruto suddenly screamed as he sat up from a nightmare, a large bump on his head. Shikamaru and Choji were sniggering on either side of him as the Akimichi boy put down his large stick. I'm sure you can guess where the bump came from. The blonde then looked out and saw Sakura near Ino and Sasuke and Kiku sitting together. They each had a strange expression on their faces. He then turned and saw Ino helping Lee to his feet.

_The Grass Ninja!_ He remembered. "Everybody hide!" Naruto yelled, jumping to the ground. "Quick, get down! That ninja…where could she be hiding?"

"Naruto?" Sakura asked, turning and looking at the boy.

_It's about time the lazy fool woke up,_ Ino thought with a sigh and an annoyed look. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt something poking his bump; Choji had come back with his stick.

"You really are one of a kind; that's for sure," Shikamaru told him with anything but a complimenting tone. "And I mean…your kind gets on my nerves."

"Mmhmm," Choji agreed with a nod. Naruto, now annoyed, looked back to Sakura and the others and noticed, for the first time, her injuries.

"Oh no! Sakura-chan!" He called, getting up and running to her.

"What?" She asked in annoyance.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" He said over and over again, further increasing her annoyance. "What happened? I mean, something serious happened to you! Your all beaten up!" He told her, kneeling down in between her and Sasuke.

"Oh, that's all," She smiled a little.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

"I just…got into a little fight and wasn't strong enough to protect myself," She lied, not wanting to tell Naruto of how she got beaten by her own teammate. The girl didn't notice the frowns over the faces of Ino and Sasuke. "I'm alright though. Nothing to fuss over about." She told him with a smile as Shikamaru and Choji walked up to them.

"So, what's your story?" Naruto asked them. "Why've you guys come here in the first place? What's going on around here?" He wondered. Both boys sighed.

"Explaining everything to you is going to be such a pain," Shikamaru said, not really wanting to bother. Luckily for him, Sakura saved him the trouble.

"Everyone just showed up to help me," She stated sadly.

"What?" Naruto asked, turning back to her. Ino smiled.

_Wow… Sakura really looks out for Naruto and Sasuke…, _The blonde though in surprise, but the real shock came when Tenten suddenly jumped down in front of her.

"I'll take care of him now, Ino," She said, looking at Lee and really ignoring the kunoichi.

"Uh, okay," Ino permitted, handing her the boy. Tenten smiled sweetly at him for a moment before…

"COME ON, LEE! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!" She yelled, shaking him roughly by the shoulders. "SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY! ALRIGHT?" She finished, dropping him to his knees. Lee groaned and looked up at her.

"Tenten, is that you?" He asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help you out," She explained. "What do you think?"

"Wha-? Where are those Sound ninja guys?" He wondered, looking around.

"Sakura and Sasuke took care of them," Tenten stated.

"Really?" He said, looking to the pink-haired and dark-haired Genin. Tenten sighed and crouched down in front of him as he fell back and sat on ground.

"Just what were you thinking? Rushing in there all by yourself; you're a total mess," Tenten sighed.

"Well…Sakura-san was in trouble so…I had to do something, right?"Leereplied meekly and slightly unsurely. It had felt like the right thing to do at the time, at least.

_He got to be kidding! He had to know he didn't stand a chance alone in here against all those guys, _Tenten thought to herself with a frown, concerned about Lee. "That was pretty darn stupid, don't you think?" She scolded.

"Ah ha!" Naruto said in 'great' realization. "Your the on with bushy-brow'!" He mocked. Sakura looked at him and glared viciously.

"NARUTO!" She yelled while raising her fist in the air. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT LEE!" Sakura exclaimed with anger as she swung her fist down and got Naruto right in the cheek. Sending the blonde flying onto the ground with a 'thud'. _Wha…what in the world happened while I was asleep? _Naruto thought to himself.

"Ugh, he's totally clueless," Shikamaru sighed.

"He must be the type that could never become the main character of a story," Choji added with a pitying look on his face.

"Lee-san," Sakura called to the boy, who was still staring at her in shock of her defense over him. "…Thanks…Because of you…I have awakened. I feel like I've become a little stronger." Sakura stated while giving Lee one of her angelic smiles. The latter blushed at the gesture.

"S-Sakura-san…I…," He stuttered. "I...I guess my efforts alone weren't good enough."

"Don't worry about it," Sakura said with a slight tilt of her head. "I couldn't defeat them either. Not without Sasuke's help at least…"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, exchanging glances with the pinkette.

"To chase off those ninja, you must be very strong," Lee realized, looking down in disappointment. "I was not strong at all. I just got beaten to a pulp."

_What's he talking about? Beaten to a pulp?_ Sasuke wondered._ Were those guys really that strong?_

"Sakura-san," Lee called.

"Hmm?" Sakura asked when he had her attention.

"When we meet again, I'll become a stronger ninja," The boy stated with determination. "I promise."

"Yeah…me too," Sakura agreed with a gentle smile.

"HEY SAKURA!" Ino called from across the clearing.

"What?" Sakura questioned back.

"Come over here! I got some first-aid things to help you, okay?" She offered as Sakura regarded her with a suspicious look.

"…Sure," The pinkette shrugged, walking over and kneeling in front of Ino as the girl reached into her pack. Taking out bandages and what-not.

* * *

><p>"This is turning into a real mess," Anko sighed from her room at the top of the tower. There were two ANBU in the room with her. "But, there's noway we can cancel the test." She bit her lip.<p>

"What do you mean?" One of the ANBU asked. The door slid open and a Chunin in a grey uniform entered.

"Sorry to interrupt," He apologized.

"Huh? What do you want?" Anko frowned at him. "We're talking about something important."

"Uh, I'm sorry…but…it's this tape. You have to see it," He said, walking in with a tape in his hand. He put it into the player and turned on the TV, watching the screen. "Okay, now, when you watch this, pay special attention to the time." The screen changed and they saw Gaara, Temari and Kankuro walking around the tower. At the bottom, the time read 16:07. Anko frowned and gasped in realization.

"Huh? But that means…," She trailed off.

"That's right, Anko-san," The Chunin said. "This was recorded from inside the tower. It's unbelievable. Those ninja finished only an hour and thirty-seven minutes after the test started. They completely destroyed the record for finishing the second test."

"Wha..?" Anko whispered breathlessly. "That's impossible."

"It took just ninety-seven minutes. Nothing like this has ever happened before," He acknowledged. "No one's even come close. Those ninja, from the Sand Village…are way above Genin level. They beat the record by four hours."

"I'm afraid it's not just that," Anko, who was now standing in between the two ANBU, said. The man looked at her over his shoulder.

"I don't get it…what do you mean?" He asked.

"It's ten kilometers from the test entrance gates to the tower, and in between are ferocious animals, poisonous insects, and not to mention the other ninja. Could they really have avoided all those things?" She asked, but mostly herself. "Especially the red-haired kid in the front."

"What's so special about him?" The Chunin asked, looking back at the tape while Anko moved to look out of her window.

"You mean you didn't see?" She questioned.

"Interesting," One ANBU mused.

"That is quite a surprise," The other agreed.

"I still don't get it. What am I supposed to be seeing here?" The Chunin asked, looking again at Anko.

"It's what you're not seeing. Look closely at his body," She informed him, looking at the man out of the corner of her eye for a reaction. He looked back to the screen and observed Gaara completely before smiling.

"I see it now," He realized.

"Not a single scratch, and I haven't even been able to spot one little spec of dirt on his clothing," Anko frowned again. Not even I…no, none of the Chunin could make it back to the tower without a scratch. He thought to himself, his eyes widening. It's impossible.

"He must have some kind of special ability," One ANBU remarked.

"It's been a long time since we've had such a promising candidate," The other commented. "But his eyes are…pure evil."

* * *

><p>Naruto grinned as he looked down on the calm river, full of peaceful fish just minding their own business. Behind the blonde were three clones, all donned in what he was wearing; green boxers. The blonde had created them in hopes of catching more fish.<p>

"Breakfast time," The four Naruto's chimed together. "Kage Bunshin fishing Jutsu!" He called. "Bombs away!" And with that, the four jumped down from the small ledge above the river and made a big splash. Sasuke was stood on the edge, kunai in hand.

The Naruto's swam through the water, as quickly as they could without disturbing the fish too badly. He caught one and threw it up, where Sasuke noticed it. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed and he threw a kunai at it, nailing it to a tree. This happened again with three more fish before Naruto popped out of the water, gasping for breath and glaring at the pompous boy on land.

"Well?" Sasuke asked, putting a hand on his hip. "Come on. Is that it? I only got four. Now, go and do it again."

"What?" Naruto screamed at him, his hair spiking more in anger.

"I could eat three fish myself," He told the fuming blonde.

"Well, if you think it's so easy, why don't you get wet and I'll stand on the shore?" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Sakura called from further up. "What's taking you two so long? I've already got the fire started."

"I guess four fish is enough…," Sasuke mumbled.

"Oh! Now you change your mind!" Naruto yelled in annoyance.

"Sasuke!" A voice yelled from the right, "Catch!"

The Uchiha looked to the right, seeing a net full of nine fish being thrown at him, "What the?"

Naruto and Sasuke both looked at Kiku, she was Wearing a spaggeti strap black tank top and navy green short shorts. Naruto started blushing and Sasuke looked away.

"K-kiku what are you wearing?" Naruto stuttered.

"Eh? Just my pajama's. I figured I could use them to get the fish! Why are you all read? Its not like its revealing!" Kiku stated, getting onto the bank of the river. Naruto stared at her legs, well toned and muscly, smooth. His gaze traveled up to her petite waist that now shone she had some muscle their too. Images ran into his head, and his eyes traveld up more.

_"Oh Naruto! I can love you way more the Sakura!" Kiku giggled girlishly, attatching to Naruto's side._

_"No way Naruto! Only I can satisfy you!" Sakura yelled attaching to his other._

_"Hehehe there's no need to fight over me!" Naruto grinned widley._

_"Your so much more handsomer then Sasuke!" They both said kissing his cheek._

_Sasuke, who stood in a corner, looked down cast and upset, "Hahahahhaha loooks like Im way better then you are!" Naruto cheered as Kiku was about to kiss him._

_"Oh Naruto!" Kiku squeeled leaning in._

"-and that all that I had to do to get the fish. It wasn't as hard as Naruto made it." Kiku's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Huh?" Naruto muttered.

"Uhm Naruto?" Kiku suddenly turned red and her eyes flashed angrily.

"K-kiku w-whats wrong?" Naruto stuttered now scared of the evil gleam in her eyes.

"You pervert! Stop staring at my chest!" Kiku yelled, shaking her fist.

"Dobe." Sasuke muttered before walking back to camp.

"Pervert." Kiku growled at him before walking off.

* * *

><p>The fires crackling and Naruto's growling stomach were the only sounds begin heard as the four Genin sat silently around the fire. Awaiting for their fishes to be done cooking.<p>

"It's already been four days since the second exam began," Sakura stated, breaking the silence.

"Well, we're sure not gonna break any records, and we've only got twenty four hours left," Sasuke said with disappointment in his tone.

"I wonder how many other teams have already gotten through and finished,"Kiku thought aloud.

_I wonder when my fish is going to be done! I'm starving! _The blonde thought with a hungry grin.

_If we don't get a miracle or something soon, we're finished,_ Sasuke frowned, looking at his earth scroll and then at the forest.

_Almost done…if I'm fast, I can grab the biggest one before any of the others get it_, Naruto continued his greedy thoughts. Finally, the fish was ready to be eaten. Naruto didn't waste any time and make a quick grab for the biggest one.

"Mmmm," He said as he took a bite of his meal. But, almost instantly, the knuckle-head of a ninja spit it out while fanning his burning tongue with his hands. "Hot! Hot! Hot!"

"What do you expect!" Sakura scolded the blonde while Sasuke rolled his eyes. "They just finished being cooked."

"Saorrii!" Naruto attempted to apologized. But, do to his singed tongue…it came out like mush.

"Putting that aside…we have to face it. Maybe there's not any more heaven scrolls left," Kiku stated, lowering her half-eaten fish.

"Well, that's a cheerful thought," Sasuke rolled his eyes, taking another bite of his own fish and looking towards Naruto, who continued to have difficulty eating his meal with a damaged tongue.

"It may be pessimistic, but it's true," Sakura sighed. Sasuke said it himself. This is the fourth day we've been out here and still, all we've done is fight and get nothing. That means we've already used up 80 percent of the time we were given for the exam."

"Only thirteen teams can pass, because there are only thirteen pairs of heaven and earth scrolls," Sasuke stated with a sigh.

"Right. And you've got twenty six teams, seventy eight candidates, out looking for them." Kiku frowned. Naruto stopped eating and looked at her uncertainly. "And if those odds weren't bad enough, you've got that creepy he-she who burnt the heaven scroll we had and ate his…or her own scroll."

"Oni twelf full pars?" Naruto asked. Sakura looked at him and smiled briefly.

"Yeah…only twelve full pairs. Not to mention all the pairs that have been found and secured by other teams since then." She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, working out their chance.

"Maybe we gave ourselves too much time to rest and recover from our last fight," Sasuke thought out-loud. "I don't know. What I do know, is that we've got to try harder than ever to pass this thing now."

"I agree," Kiku said to the Uchiha.

"I think we can make up for lost time," Sasuke said. "The next enemy we face could be our last chance." He got up, holding their water canteen in his hand. "I'm gonna get water." The boy stated, walking away from his team. Sakura frowned as his back before looking at Naruto, who sighed and looked at the scroll. He picked it up and turned to the pinkette.

"I think I'll go change." Kiku muttered, still in her swim cloths. She sent one last glare at Naruto before walking off.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," He called out. "I know how we can do this without having to fight anyone."

"How?" She asked, humoring him. Naruto pulled his hip-pouch round in front of him and dug through it, before tipping at least seven scrolls onto the ground between him and Sakura.

"Look," Naruto said, holding up for her to see.

"Look a what?" Sakura huffed.

"What do you mean, 'look at what'?" He grinned. "Scrolls. I've got tons of them! You know, like manuals on Ninjutsu and stuff like that."

"So?" She twitched, getting an idea of where this was going.

"We could change one of these to look like the heaven scroll," He told her.

"Stop!" Sakura warned, holding her hand out. "Don't even think about doing something so stupid."

"Huh?" Naruto whined. He thought it was a brilliant plan.

"Even if you could fake the outside, how do you fake what's written inside of it, idiot?" She growled, glaring at him. "You couldn't know without reading it, and that's against the rules."

"I've got it all figured out!" Naruto cheered. "I've got a feeling that they've got a secret code written in that would only make sense when they're put together. Yeah…and that secret code it what you need to get into the tower at the end of the exam." He realized, getting closer to her so that their faces were almost touching. "Get it?"

"No," Sakura said bluntly, pushing him away. "We've just never even had a heaven scroll, so I don't get how we're going to fake what's inside the damn thing."

"Well…I…oh…," Naruto mumbled in disappointment, not quite having thought the whole thing through. "But wait…we do have the earth scroll."

"So what?" She frowned, seeing seriousness all over his face.

"We could open it and…," He trailing off, seeing her glare.

"You wouldn't," She dared.

"It's our only chance. I'm gonna open and read this scroll," He said in a determined voice.

"No!" She said, hitting him on the head. "Don't you know what forbidden means?"

"I know, but…" He didn't finish, looking at her with water eyes and a goofy pleading look on his face. "If we don't do anything, we'll never make it!" Naruto said as an excuse while nursing his sore head. Sakura looked down at the ground in deep thought, though Naruto believed that she was considering his plan. He looked at a blank scroll that looked a lot like the heaven scroll.

The blonde had picked up the earth scroll, ready to open it. He didn't, though, until he got some kind of confirmation from Sakura. She was glaring at him, telling him not to do it. However, Naruto truly believed this to be his only option. His thumb traveled over the opening.

"Wait," Sakura said calmly, walking over to him.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" He asked, turning and seeing that she was right next to him.

"Please Naruto," Sakura pleaded with eyes full of anxiety. "I beg you. Don't open the scroll."

"Why not?" The blonde questioned. Thinking that their was absolutely nothing wrong with opening it.

"What if something bad happened?" Sakura asked the blonde, who then considered the idea. "I don't want you getting hurt." Naruto stared at his female teammate with a surprised expression on his face. The corners of his mouth tilted up into a smile and Naruto placed the scroll back down onto the ground.

"Alright," He said, catching Sakura's attention. "I won't open it."

"Good choice," a voice from the woods commended.

"Who's there?" Naruto demanded, standing up and tightening his grip on the scroll. Kabuto stepped out of the shadows of the trees, a smirk on his face as he adjusted his glasses. He walked towards Naruto and Sakura and stared at the blonde, as if mentally scolding the younger boy for even thinking about trying to open the scroll.

Sasuke was walking back at that point, and saw Kabuto with his teammates_. An enemy_! He thought, not seeing that it was Kabuto. So, the boy ran forwards, throwing the water canteen to the side.

* * *

><p>"You actually considered opening it?" Sasuke asked the blonde, glaring daggers at him.<p>

"I didn't, though," Naruto growled back. "Just tell me, what would have happened if I opened the scroll?"

Kiku came back, now wearing black sweat pants and a tight ripped black shirt that had fishnets on the arms and stumach, "What happened?"

"Well, others who try to cheat and peak at the scrolls…," Kabuto trailed off ignoreing Kiku, looked at all of the younger Genin before him. "The scrolls are protected by some sort of hypnosis booby trap for anyone stupid enough to try and read them. It'll knock you senseless, and by the time you wake up; the exam will already be over."

"Kabuto, right? We met at the registration," Sasuke remembered. "What are you doing wandering around all be yourself?"

"Don't worry. I'm not after your Earth scroll," He assured them.

Kiku looked over to Kabuto and grinned, "Kabu-chan!" She let out a squeel before glomping him in a hug.

"Hey!" He yelled annoyed.

"I guess not," Sasuke nodded. "Because, if you were, you would have just swiped it from Naruto when you had the chance."

"He's not that weak, you know," Kiku defended, still hugging Kabuto

"Whatever," He grunted, turning back to Kabuto. "So, are you looking for a Heaven scroll too?"

"Not really," Kabuto smirked. "You see, I already have them both." He continued, pulling out both scrolls and showing them to team seven with ease despite the clinging Kiku. "I had a run of luck in getting them." Kabuto said, placing both back in his hip pouch. "I was just on my way to the tower to wait for my teammates to show up. So, if you'll excuse me." He said, smirking at Sakura before turning his back to the three Genin, attempting to get Kiku to let go, witch she decided to let go, and walking away.

"Hold it!" Sasuke called. The silverette stopped and looked over his shoulder at the boy who spoke. "I'll fight you for it." He challenged.

"Oh boy," Sakura sighed, leaning her elbow on Naruto's shoulder.

"What a lucky break," A Rain-nin, the very one that had planted the explosive tag a few days ago, said as he watched team seven and Kabuto from a distance.

"You'll fight me for it?" Kabuto asked with a smirk, turning to face the overconfident Uchiha. "Are you serious?"

"Perfectly. Sorry, but I don't have time to play nice," He stated bluntly.

"You do realize that this guy practically saved our butts! If it weren't for him I might have opened the scroll later on anyway!" Naruto stated.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded. "We should just let him leave."

"Shut up," Sasuke grunted in her direction, his competitiveness getting the better of him.

"Oi! Don't tell her to shut up! You shut up, teme!" The blonde growled in her defense.

"It can't be helped. Here, it's all about surviving and winning. Nothing else matters!" The Uchiha said, lowing himself into a fighting stance.

"Hmm…You're lying," Kabuto realized, looking away.

"H-He is?" Naruto asked, unsure.

"Come on. For all your tough-talk, your heart really isn't in it," He continued as Sasuke glared. "If that was true; if winning was all that mattered to you…why openly challenge me to a fight? Why announce it and put me on my guard? Why not just jump me when my back is turned?" He continued, pushing up his glasses. "After all, that's what a ninja would do."

"Hmmm…That's pretty deep," Naruto hummed. Sakura just stared at the Uchiha.

"That's okay," Kabuto assured. "Actually, I admire you for it. So, here's what I'll do; I'll show you the path you should follow. But let's go, we need to get out of here. The smell of the cooking fire is going to draw the attention of every wild beast in this forest." He said, turning his back again. "And not only animals, but the competition too." He added.

Kiku suddenly looked beside Kabuto, seeing something in the shadows, "Look out!" She yelled, running at Kabuto who looked surprised as she takled him away right as an explosion ripped through the area. A blinding light fallowed and everyone kept their eyes shut tight.

Smoke filled the area as a yell from Naruto and Sakura were heard, Sasuke's voice after that. A few minutes passed and the clearing was smoke free, Naruto and Sakura were on the floor and Sasuke was kneeling.

"Ugh..." Kiku let out a groan of pain, her eyes shut tightly.

"Hey, you ok?" She heard a voice from beneath her. She must have landed on Kabuto.

"No..." Kiku whimpered a little.

"Kiku!" Naruto ran over to her, checking her out. Her legs had been burned from the explosion and a wood had gone through her left leg.

"Ugh! First a fucking snake poisons me and now a tree mauls me." Kiku muttered, not getting up.

"Yeah wait what? Thats right! You and that Orochimaru person dissapeard! Where did you end up? Did he harm you at all?" Naruto suddenly was scared and pacing around.

"Aside from his snake poison. The tree warp thing was kinda cool, and I managed to get off after I pulled his hair." Kiku muttered.

"Hn." Was Sasuke's only reply.

Kabuto, who had been staring at Kiku as she talked, started sitting up, holding Kiku so she would not fall.

"Guys! The scrolls gone!" Sakura yellled.

"What? what do you mean!" Naruto wailed.

"It must have been the ninja who blew the trees up. Damn." Sasuke growled.

"No they didn't." Kiku replied as Kabuto helped her up. "I made a cloned one and kept it with me." She pulled it out from her shirt.

"All right! Your so smart Kiku!" Naruto cheered.

Kiku smiled and Kabuto let go of her, she fell foreward with a cry of pain, her leg was hurting to bad.

"We have to take that out..." Sakura said.

"Oh no..." Kiku muttered.

"You hold her Kabuto while me and Sasuke pull it out." Naruto said.

"On three," Sakura said, giving Kiku a branch to bite on as she glared at Naruto and Sasuke,"One,Two and three!"

Both boys pulled and a scream ripped out of Kiku's mouth but the branch in her mouth muffled it. Blood began to seep out of her leg but they quickly wrapped it up. "I cant walk.." Kiku muttered, "Im useless..."

"Hey no your not! You saved out buts lots of times!" Naruto yelled, "Believe it!"

"Not really... just had good timeing." Kiku muttered, eyes drooping.

"What happened to all your chakra?" Sasuke asked, his sharingan had been activated.

"Drained when Orochimaru's snake bit me." Kiku stated.

"Hear, I'll carry her." Kabuto said, lifting Kiku onto his back.

Team seven were now following Kabuto through the trees. Picking up speed with each passing second. Kiku passed out on Kabuto's back.

"You think there are still other candidates out here?" Sasuke asked, pushing off of another branch.

"Oh yeah," Kabuto smirked. "Think about it. What would be the most efficient way of collecting scrolls in an area as large as this? To go searching through the forest for them?"

"Uh, no," Sakura said. Naruto looked at her in confusion, his look clearly saying 'really?'

"Correct. You have to let them come to you," Kabuto explained. "The tower at the center of the forest is the goal, right? So, on the last day, that area will be filled with other teams trying to get in with both of their scrolls."

"Heh, like an ambush, huh?" Sasuke smirked.

"Exactly," He nodded.

"So, we just go to the tower, find a hiding place and wait for a team to come along with a heaven scroll!" Naruto chipped in. "Then it's easy sailing from there!"

"Well, you're smarter than I thought. Though, that's not saying much in your case," Kabuto smirked.

"Bastard," The blonde growled back at the insult.

"Anyway, that's just one third of the problem," He carried on. "I mean, come on. You guys aren't going to be the only ones thinking of this; did you really think it would be that easy? Every other team that's lacking a scroll will be lying in wait, just like you."

"So what?" Naruto grinned. "The more the merrier, I say. Whoever they are, we'll take care of them! Wouldn't want this to be too easy! That wouldn't be any fun! Okay, so we grab someone else's scroll and keep those losers from grabbing ours and bingo; we pass the second exam!"

"That's two thirds of the problem," The silverette cut in again, adjusting Kiku on his back.

"Stop stalling! Why can't you just tell us the whole problem, already! This is a waste of time!" Sakura huffed, annoyed by him always putting down their plan, no matter how simple it was.

"Well, there's bound to be some collectors lurking around the finish line as well. So, even when you think you're home-free, you can't relax your guard for an instant." Kabuto warned. "This kind of exam always separates them out from the other competitors. Collectors are those who gather extra sets of scrolls to get certain advantages."

"You mean like bribing their way out of unexpected situations?" Sakura suggested. "Or to give other ninja from their village a needed scroll?"

"Correct. Some also steal them to keep other competitors from rival villages from passing." Kabuto nodded. "Others, of course, use them for their own cowardly purposes. They'll use them to get out of conflicts with stronger teams further down the way. They'll be there alright, and they're bad news."

"So, the closer we get to the tower…" Sakura trailed off.

"The more likely we are to run into them!" Her blonde teammate finished off, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Aww man! This is gonna be such a drag!" He whined.

"Now you sound like Shikamaru," She commented with a slight smirk in his direction.

"I see," Sasuke said, speaking up at last. "And I'm also starting to see why you brought us along with you."

"Hmm?" Kabuto hummed.

"You're only just staring to see?" Sakura said with the roll of her eyes. "It's obvious! He just wants bodyguards or distractions so that he can get into the tower relatively unharmed. Duh. It's because he's frightened, right?"

"You bet I am," The older man admitted without a trace of shame in his features. Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but said nothing about the matter.

"There's the tower," Kabuto whispered as the moon illuminated the goal of the test. They had traveled all day and it was now night time. "That means the end is in sight. Here comes the hard part."

"Well, it's about time! Bring it on!" Naruto cheered loudly. Then, he and all the others froze.

"There's someone back there," Sakura muttered as Naruto got out a kunai and threw it into the foliage behind them. It hit a very large centipede, killing it instantly.

"Ha! False alarm; it's just a centipede. Believe it!" Naruto told them. He and the others noticed Sakura shudder slightly.

"Urgh…I hate bugs," She admitted with a disgusted look on her face.

"Hey, Naruto," Kabuto called quietly.

"Hmm?" The blonde replied, collecting his kunai and then landing back in his spot.

"Do us a favor and try to keep it down to a dull roar, will you?" Kabuto requested. "See, the whole idea is not to let anyone know we're here. If you go around, crashing through the forest like an elephant, you're going to draw collectors like flies. We wanna find them before they find us."

"Oh…yeah," Naruto nodded sheepishly. "I see your point."

"Take it slow and quietly," He suggested. "Let's use all the time we've got left."

"Mmhmm," Sakura nodded.

"Okay," Naruto agreed.

"Got it," Sasuke grunted.

"That's more like it," Kabuto smirked as he released the invisibility Jutsu he had placed on himself. He observed as Sakura moved silently through the long grass, which she had used for cover. She looked over to the river next to her, where a thick reed was floating along. Under that reed, a certain Uchiha was using it to breathe as he swam along. Kabuto moved position and activated the Jutsu again to observe how Naruto was doing. The blonde was stuck in a few vines, but quickly and silently cut them away from him before joining the others on the ground surrounding Kabuto. The latter pulled out a compass and held it up to the tower, checking the distance, while Sasuke shook out the water from his hair.

"Okay, we're getting closer," The man said, putting the compass away and turning to the others with a nod of his head. They walked forwards on foot this time, to keep the noise down further. However, after a few moments of walking, Kabuto stopped and nodded ahead of them. Pinned to the tree were the dead bodies of at least five ninja squads.

"A trap, huh?" Sasuke realized.

"Yeah, and it only gets worse from here on in," Kabuto sighed, motioning from them to continue. Naruto, however much training he had received, was still Naruto though. He tripped on a wire and dozens of kunai shot out at him. Kabuto noticed this, Swinging Kiku infront of him and jumped up, covering the blonde and getting the kunai in his own back instead.

"Kabuto!" Naruto called out. Sakura and Sasuke heard him, so they stopped and turned, seeing their guide on the ground, wounded badly.

"Like I told you," The silverette grunted. "It only gets worse from here on in."

"Move," Sakura ordered, pushing Naruto lightly to the side and tugging all of the weapons out of Kabuto's back before pulling his shirt up to uncover his wounds.

"Damage isn't too bad. A few shallow puncture wounds and only one or two deeper cuts,"

"Heh, you know how to distinguish just by looking?" Kabuto mused, not showing his pain.

"Let's just say, it pays to visit the library once in a while," Sakura smirked, taking out bandages and began wrapping them around Kabuto's wounds. "It's not perfect, but it'll hold until you can see the medics at the tower."

"Thanks," The man said, standing up and stretching. His back stung a little, but it wasn't as bad, he then picked Kiku back up.

"Damn it," Sakura hissed as she tripped over her own feet. Sasuke turned back in time and caught her, concerned.

"You alright?" The Uchiha asked.

"Yeah, just a bit worn out," She panted.

"Can you go on?" He asked her.

"Yeah," Sakura replied while standing on her own feet. "You know…that tower's not getting any closer." She noticed.

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Naruto whispered back. "It's weird."

"No…It's a Genjutsu," Sakura growled.

"It would seem we've been spotted. Somebody is playing games with us; making us walk in circles," The guide said with narrowed eyes. "Look; ring any bells?" He asked, pointing behind Naruto.

"What? No! It can be!" He yelled out, looking at the giant centipede he had nailed to the tree with a kunai hours ago. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"Looks like you were right, Sakura. It's a Genjutsu," Kabuto sighed, but his smirk let everyone know he was looking forwards to the upcoming fight.

"I can't believe we fell for it so easily," Sasuke muttered.

"I can," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"We were so concerned about not being seen by anyone, that we didn't see we were walking around in circles," Kabuto continued. "It's their game."

"Their game? What do you mean by that?" Sakura asked, her eyebrows rising in question.

"They're trying to wear us down," Kabuto explained. "They'll strike when we're frustrated and physically exhausted."

"You mean like we are right now?" Sasuke inquired in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Right. They'll be coming soon," The silverette said, pushing up his glasses again. Team seven and Kabuto heard noises in the forest as hundreds of ninja pulled themselves into the open. They came from trees, bushes, the ground; everywhere. All had bandages over their eyes and Amegakure headband's on their foreheads.

"Well, Naruto…you wanted a fight," Sasuke joked with a wide smirk.

"Hmm, four against forty…I like those odds," The blonde grinned as the enemy came closer and closer.

"Clones, right?" Sakura asked, pulling out a kunai.

"From the look of it, I'd say you're right," Kabuto nodded. "And a whole lot of them." He added, looking around. One of the clones began to chuckle.

"Like cornered rats," It laughed, getting Naruto to yell out.

"Oh yeah?" The blonde shouted at a random clone. "Cornered rats, are we?" He asked, charging and punching the closest body. Wait…don't clones vanish after getting a direct hit? Sakura thought with a frown as Naruto continued to push the clone further back with his clenched fist.

"Wait!" She called. It was too late, since the clone didn't vanish into smoke. Instead, the part where Naruto had landed his hit broke up into a black liquid, causing the blonde to fall through with some of the stuff the clone was made from left on his knuckles. Kabuto turned to look and the four ninja watched the clone melt. What are they? Sasuke asked himself. He saw the area Naruto punched begin to rise, forming the head and shoulders of another Nin. A hand rose up, holding a double-sided kunai.

"I-I just touched it and it turned to mush," Naruto realized. "What's going on here?"

There's only one way to see what's really going on, Sasuke noticed, closing his eyes. Sharingan! He thought as he activated his bloodline trait. The clone with the kunai slashed at the melting body and turned, twisting towards Naruto quickly to cut him up.

"Naruto!" Sakura called, throwing her kunai at the clone.

"Watch out!" Sasuke added, throwing three shuriken to go with Sakura's kunai. The weapons hit their marks and the arm was taken apart, but soon reformed and turned to face Sasuke and Sakura. It threw a double-sided kunai at the pinkette.

"Dammit!" Sakura yelled, jumping out of the way. She landed at the base of a tree-trunk, her head pounding.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out in worry. "Are you okay?"

"Everything's going wrong!" Kabuto called out. "We've got no choice but to hold our ground and fend off their attacks. We need to—ARGH!" Kabuto yelled out when he was struck in the face and sent to the ground in pain.

"Kabuto!" Naruto and Sakura yelled out. The clones advanced on Kabuto until he looked them in the eye. His sclera began to redden and the clones backed off. Naruto then sprung forwards and kicked all clones away from him and the unconcious Kiku while Sakura checked his injuries. All of the clones disappeared, leaving the originals unconscious on the ground.

"Heh…never give your enemy an opening," The silverette quoted. He's alright, Sakura realized, seeing that Kabuto's only noticeable wound was one clean cut across the bridge of his nose, similar to Iruka's scar and his glasses had been knocked from his face.

"Thank you, Naruto," Kabuto smiled with a hefty sigh. "You really saved my neck."

"Nice one, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

Naruto finished tying up the Rain-nin, all of the others watching him; Sakura had offered to help, but the blonde told her that it would be easy to do and that she could relax. Kabuto's eyes, now covered once again with his glasses, traveled down to Sasuke's neck, where he saw the curse seal.

"That mark…what is that?" Kabuto asked. "Is it a bruise?" He continued, noticing how Sasuke moved his hand to cover it.

"It's nothing," He defended. Naruto, who had moved on to searching the ninja, grinned and jumped up with a cheer.

"Hey, guys! Here it is! Just what we needed!" He told them loudly, holding up his prize. "A Heaven Scroll!"

"Good for you!" Kabuto smiled.

"YEAH!" Sakura laughed, jumping up and doing a back flip. Sasuke smirked slightly, but his eyes soon landed on Kabuto and he glared.

_There something not right about that guy_, He realized as Naruto went over to Kabuto and told him he would carry Kiku from there on.

Kabuto and team seven reached the tower soon after their find. Sakura was supporting the weakened Uchiha, who had grown exhausted from using his Sharingan, with Naruto trialing behind them Kiku on his back. They turned when they heard the bushed behind them rustling and watched Kabuto's team mates appear.

"There you are, Kabuto," One said. "You're late."

"Sorry about that," Kabuto apologized. "I got a little sidetracked."

"Yeah, and are we glad you did!" Naruto laughed.

"I hate to admit it, but it was thanks to you that we got our Heaven scroll," Sakura nodded.

"Not really. You did most of it on your own," The silverette smiled. "Mainly you, Naruto. Very impressive."

"Well, this is where we say goodbye," Sakura stated.

"Indeed. Bye," Kabuto waved, turning to a door. Team seven turned to the one next to it and Naruto and Sakura each grabbed a handle. They pushed the doors open, breaking a seal on the door as they did, and stepped slowly inside.

* * *

><p>"Good harvest?" A male's voice questioned when Kabuto and his team stepped into their room.<p>

"Excellent, actually," Kabuto smirked. "I got all the data and recorded it on this." He said, holding out a card. "You want it?"

"Of course," The man said softly as Kabuto held out the card. "So, tell me; what did you think?" He asked, taking the information.

"Aha," Kabuto chuckled. "Your curiosity is truly insatiable…Lord Orochimaru."

"Well, as a Sound Village spy, you see things others don't," Orochimaru stated, looking over the card. "Your opinion…is of interest to me."

"Oh, it doesn't really matter," Kabuto said. "Whatever I think, you're the one who decides. Isn't that always the way? Also, Im just wondering. Whats up with that purple haired one? Kiku Karasu was it?"

"Yes, I discovered she has something I need. Not only will I have the Sharingan but I will have the Rinnengan." Orochimaru laughed.

"She has the Rinnengan?" Kabuto asked shocked.

"Yes, I saw it myself. I want you to bring her to the medic ward where she will receive my mark. After that you will stay hear and keep an eye on her." Orochimaru stated.

"Yes sir."

"You're a good worker, aren't you, Kabuto? I like that," He chuckled as smoke surrounded him. "Good work." He said as the smoke cleared, showing no signs of him ever being there to begin with.

* * *

><p>"What's the deal?" Naruto asked once he and the others were in the centre of the room. "There's no one here. I don't get it…what happens now?"<p>

"It's okay Sakura," Sasuke said with a gentle smile while taking his arms off of the pinkette's shoulders. "I can manage."

"Oh sure," Sakura replied with a smile of her own.

_**'Dammit! I was enjoying that!" **_Inner Sakura growled.

"Look at that," Sasuke said, gesturing to the words written on a piece of paper hung on the wall.

"Huh?" Naruto hummed, reading the text. "If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher." He read.

"If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack," Sakura continued.

"When Heaven and Earth are open together, the perilous path will become righteous forever," Sasuke finished.

"This…something…is the secret way, which guides us from this place today," The Haruno girl concluded.

"This 'what'? Or is that a secret too?" Naruto huffed. "It's like there's a word missing or something."

"It's about the scrolls," Sakura explained. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Naruto?"

"I think I am," Naruto grinned. "We're supposed to open the Heaven and Earth scrolls now." He stated. Naruto brought them both out of his pocket and offered on to Sakura, but she threw it at Sasuke. The boys got ready to open the scrolls, but hesitated.

"GET IT OVER WITH!" Sakura yelled after two minutes of gulping. She breathed heavily for a moment before composing herself.

"Okay," Naruto nodded. "Here goes nothing."

They flicked the scrolls open and looked at what was written inside. At once, Naruto gasped and then looked confused.

"What…What the hell does this mean?" He questioned. Sakura looked over his shoulder and raised a brow at the scroll before scoffing and looking around.

"A man…? A person…?" Sasuke guessed. The girl frowned and then her eyes widened upon seeing the centre of each scroll rise and emit smoke.

"Drop the scroll! This is a summoning Jutsu!" She warned. The boys did as they were told and threw the scrolls to the ground, one landing on top of the other. Sakura watched the smoking scrolls warily as the boys sank into fighting stances, ready for whatever would leap out at them. After a moment, the scrolls exploded into smoke; the pre-teens shielded their eyes from harm.

They looked back with narrow eyes as the smoke began to clear, showing the outline of a man. Naruto was the first to recognize him, his eyes widening as a sign of remembrance. Sasuke was the second to snap out of his shock as he discovered who the man was. It took Sakura a few more moments for her to drop her stance.

"What?" Sasuke gasped. "It's you?" He continued. Standing there, in all his Chunin glory, was the one, the only…UMINO IRUKA-SENSEI!

"Hey there!" He greeted. "Long time no see, huh?"

"You sure got that right," Sakura said while smiling at her old sensei.

"Well, it looks like you've all gone through a lot," Iruka smiled, looking over their various wounds, "Kiku? Is she ok?"

"She's got injured badly when we stepped into a trap.."

"Hey, wait! What's the deal with this freaky entrance?" Naruto asked loudly.

"At the end of the second exam, we Chunin are supposed to welcome back any of those who passed the test," Iruka informed him. "And I guess I was just the lucky one who got to be the messenger for you guys, Team Seven." He continued, stepping towards them.

"…Messenger?" Sakura echoed. Iruka reached into his pocket and drew out a watch, flicking it open and looking at the time it displayed.

"Whew, and you made it just in time, too," He laughed. "A minute later and you would have been disqualified. And now…congratulations! You've all passed the second exam."

"Wha-?" Team Seven all questioned in confusion.

"To celebrate passing, I would love to treat you all to some Ichiraku ramen, but I-"

"RAMEN?" Naruto cheered. "Seriously? That's so cool!" He laughed, jumping onto Iruka and hugging him.

"Hey! I'm not done!" Iruka complained.

"So cool!" Naruto said, ignoring him.

"Let me go!" The teacher ordered. Sakura stepped forwards and grabbed Naruto by his shirt-collar, pulling him off of Iruka.

"Ramen would be awesome! Iruka-sensei is awesome! I love ramen, Sakura-chan! Ramen! Ramen!" He chanted over and over again.

"I know, Naruto. Ramen is great, but let Iruka-sensei finish," She stated, patting his head.

"…Fine," Naruto muttered like a little boy begin told off by his mom. Iruka noticed this and smiled faintly. "But…RAMEN! RAMEN!" He cheered again, jumping up in the air sucessfully dropping Kiku. "Oops..." Sasuke let himself drop onto the floor, looking up at his two teammates as Naruto began to dance around with Sakura, spinning her exhausted body while she was too tired to complain.

"Where does he get all that energy?" He mumbled to himself.

"Naruto…knock it off," Sakura whined half-heartedly. "I'm tired."

"Alright," Iruka butted in. "Well, I can see that you're just as hyperactive as ever, Naruto. And that you and Sakura have grown very close I see." He carried on.

"So…if we opened the scroll in the middle of the exam…," Sakura began, thinking.

"…What would you have done to us, Iruka-sensei?" Sasuke finished, seeing what she was getting at.

"Well, as usual, Sasuke and Sakura, you're both very perceptive," Iruka sighed, picking up the scrolls. "You've discovered the secret. Part of this exam was to see if you could tackle a very dangerous and important mission, and then see it all the way through without cheating. You all knew that opening the scrolls was against the rules of the mission, and if you opened one…"

"Yeah? What?" Naruto prompted.

"Simply put, you would have been down for the count; get it?" He stated bluntly. "If a scroll was opened, the Chunin assigned to that squad would be the one to knock out the cheaters, and they'd be disqualified. Some ninja found that out the hard way."

"Whoa. Thanks Sakura-chan! If you were someone else, I would have opened that scroll. And I guess I owe Kabuto, too, huh?" Naruto sniffled, his big eyes full of relief. Sakura just sighed, and smiled half heartily at the over-emotional blonde.

"Oh yeah, sensei?" She called.

"Yeah? What is it?" He replied, looking at her frowning face.

"What does that writing on the wall mean? I think Naruto, Sasuke and I get the basics of it, but it's still pretty confusing." She told him, pointing to the poster.

"Well, good eye. Explaining that parchment is one of the duties I've been sent here to do." Iruka smiled. Naruto sniggered to himself.

"Hehe…Iruka-sensei said duties," He giggled. Sakura and Sasuke looked at him blankly, shaking their heads in shame.

"Naruto, this is serious business," Iruka told him with a heavy sigh.

"Really?" Naruto complained.

"Read it well. This here is a guide written by Hokage-sama that he believes all good Chunin should follow," The man said.

"They're guidelines?" Naruto scoffed.

"Yes." Iruka nodded. "Heaven stands for your mind; Earth stands for your body. If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. Get it?"

"Hmm. Sort of. So, if your weakness is in your smarts, like me, I guess, then I need to work extra hard to make sure I'm ready," Naruto guessed.

"Exactly. If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. Do you get that?" Iruka continued.

"Yeah. Like my Taijutsu is my weakest element. Meaning, I've got to train harder for missions so I won't hold people back," Sakura sighed.

"You got it. When Heaven and Earth are open together, the perilous path will become righteous forever," The Chunin finished.

"So, when you're strong in your mind and body, even a hard mission can become easy," Sasuke concluded.

"Yes," Iruka agreed.

"So, that spot with the missing letter. What does that mean?"

"Well, that's actually for you to fill in," Iruka said with a smile. "It's different for every ninja; it all depends on what kind of shinobi or kunoichi you turn out to be. That symbol on the scroll is the symbol for person; it's a reference to you possible Chunin. These five days of survival were to test your abilities as Chunin and to see if you'd be any good at it, and I gotta say, you guys really did magnificently. A Chunin is a leader, someone who has to know the strengths and weaknesses of those serving under him, and also to know who needs what training in order to succeed. And, well, that's it. That was everything I was supposed to say to you."

"Got it," Naruto assured, saluting his sensei. Sakura and Sasuke both nodded.

"We all got it, Iruka-sensei," Sakura smiled.

"Umm…One more thing," Iruka sighed. "For the third exam…don't push it too far. Especially you, Naruto. I'm worried that-"

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto interrupted. "When I got this headband, I stopped being just an academy student. So, stop worrying about me. I'm a fully fledged Genin—I've passed two tests on my way to becoming Chunin! I may still be hyper…but I'm no kid. Not anymore. You just watch, next time you see me…I'll be a Chunin!"

"Naruto…you're right. I'm sorry for doubting you," Iruka apologized. Iruka looked down, remembered Kakashi and Anko's words. He looked at the team of misfits, seeing Naruto laughed and Sakura smiling at her blonde friend while Sasuke just shook his head wearily.

_I think that he was right. The one who understands the strengths and weaknesses of these ninja…is no one else but Kakashi himself._ Iruka admitted in his head.

* * *

><p>In a high room in the tower, Anko was growling in pain as she added pressure to her curse seal. The Hokage watched her pain stricken face with concern as he puffed out smoke from his pipe.<p>

"How is it?" He asked. "Does the curse seal still cause you pain?"

"No…Not really," Anko denied. "Thanks to you, it's much better."

"That's good, but we better get back to business," Kotetsu cut in. "This Orochimaru is one of the Sannin, isn't he?"

"He's supposed to be so incredibly powerful that not even one of the ANBU Black-op units could bring him down. I heard a rumor that he died, but I guess that wasn't true," Izumo sighed. "Why did he come to this village now, anyway?" He asked. Anko gasped in realization.

"That kid…," Anko trailed off.

"He is after Sasuke," The Hokage stated calmly.

"Not only that but Kiku Karasu too." Anko stated.

"She has something he wants? What could she have?" The Hokage wondered.

Anko looked at him, but a voice broke through her radio before she could reply.

"Anko, we've confirmed that twenty two ninja have finished the second exam," A voice said. "As for the third exam; according to the rule, we'll have to hold a round of preliminaries first. For the first time…in five years."

The room sat silent.

"Now, for the time being, we'll just continue with the exams," The Hokage said, breaking the silence. "But I do want to keep an eye on Orochimaru's movements as much as possible."

"Yes, of course," Anko agreed.

"Anko!" A Chunin cried as he ran into the room, holding a tape. "You need to see this!"

"So? Put it in!" Anko ordered.

And what everyone in the room saw nearly made their hearts stop.

* * *

><p>The Hokage stood in the main room of the tower, examiners and guards to either side of him, the Genin candidates in front of him, Jounin sensei's behind him and a statue of two hands performing the Tiger Seal behind them. Anko took a breath and began to speak, although everyone could tell that she was glaring them all down; and it wasn't like the rough glare she gave them before, this was the glare you would give someone who betrayed you.<p>

"First of all; congratulations on finishing the second exam," She said through her microphone. Seventy eight ninja took that exam; I'm surprised that as many as twenty one passed…I knew that less than half would make it, but I really thought that the number would be in the single digits. Now, who is the one on the tape…?

"I'm really hungry," Choji whined as he grabbed his stomach.

"How troublesome. There's so many left," Shikamaru sighed. "This is such a pain."

"Looks like Sakura's team passed as well," Ino said to herself while gazing at the pinkette.

"I see your team didn't do too badly, Kakashi," Gai admitted to his life-long rival. "They must've gotten real lucky. Of course, with my team still around your team is doomed to failure. After all, this next test is all about ability and we've got you far outclassed. Well, I guess that growing up is partly learning how to deal with heartbreak, huh, Kakashi?"

"Huh? Did you say something?" Kakashi asked calmly. Gai stared for a moment before he freaked out. _Alright, Kakashi, you win this round. I can't stand it when you're so cool! I will not let you get the best of me_, He promised.

_So, that's Gai-sensei's old rival, huh?_ Tenten mused with a smile. _Well, if I had to judge them on looks alone, I'd have to say, Gai-sensei would lose_.

_Gai-sensei is just the coolest teacher ever. I mean, he is so cool, he practically glows with cool_, Lee nodded with fire in his eyes. "You watch, Gai-sensei! Some day, I shall make you proud of me!" He stated with determination.

"Hey, look. All of the rookie ten passed," Sakura mused, looking around her.

_It's hard to believe that so many of them got through the second test, and so many of them are rookies_, The Hokage mused, looking back towards the Jounin teachers of all the rookies._ I guess that's why they fought so hard to recommend them. But who is it on that tape?_

"Alright, now pay attention. Hokage-sama is going to explain the third exam to you. You'd better listen carefully, maggots," Anko warned. "Now, Hokage-sama, they're all yours."

"Hmm," He nodded, stepping forwards and clearing his throat. "First, before I tell you what the third exam is all about, I want to congratulate you on making it this far and tell you something about the test itself. You better listen closely, now, it's something important. I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams."

"True…purpose?" Sakura echoed.

"Isn't it to become Chunin?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies?" The Hokage questioned. "To raise the ability levels of shinobi and to increase the power of the bonds between allied nations, sure, but it's important that you understand the true meaning. These exams are a representation of the battle between allied nations." As soon as the words left his mouth, people began to mutter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tenten voiced.

"Look at our history! Many years ago, all of our allies were neighboring nations fighting for power. In order to stop needless killing, these nations picked champions to battle in a mutually selected location. That was how the Chunin selection exams originally began." He told them.

"Well, that's great and all…but why do we have to do these exams?" The blonde Uzumaki boy asked. "I mean, it's not like we're doing this to pick Chunin to go fight."

"On the contrary, the point of these exams is to weed out the shinobi who aren't worthy to become Chunin and to promote those who are," He informed them. "These are also exams where a shinobi may carry the pride of their nation on their backs and fight against other ninja for their very lives.

"Many leaders and visitors from prominent countries are invited to attend these exams. This is a way for them to choose the best shinobi to work for them." Sarutobi continued. "This exam could determine the course of your ninja work from here on out. And more importantly, they will watch the battles to see which ninja and which nation are the strongest. This way, the countries deemed weak will lose work and those deemed strong will gain it. It's a constant battle for strength, even now."

"Old man!" Naruto yelled impatiently. "We appreciate the history lesson, but this exam needs to carry on! When are we going to start the third exam?"

"Very well," The Hokage nodded. "Listen closely, I'll tell you what you'll be doing for the third exam!" He told them. A ninja appeared in front of him, kneeling on the floor.

"Hokage-sama, before you do…please allow me, Gekko Hayate, Proctor of the third exam to speak first," He said, coughing.

"So be it," The Hokage allow. Hayate got up, his back facing the Genin.

"It's nice to meet you all," He greeted, coughing yet again. "There's something…I would like all of you…ehe, ehe, ehe…to do before the third exam." He choked out, turning his head to look at them. "Uhh…We have to have a Preliminary exam before we can move on to the real one," Hayate told them.

"You have to be kidding," Sakura growled.

"Preliminary?" Shikamaru yelled out. "Just what do you mean by that, huh?" He asked. Sakura's fists clenched and her anger got the best of her yet again.

"WE'VE JUST WORKED OUT BUTTS OFF FOR THE LAST FIVE DAYS AND NOW WE HAVE TO FIGHT A POINTLESS PRELIMINARY? WHY NOT JUST KICK A FEW OUT AND GET IT OVER WITH!" Sakura screamed, panting hard when she was done. …Shit, she thought to herself as everyone stared at her. Everyone was gawking

"Ehe," Gekko coughed. "Well, you see, the first and second exams might have been too easy. The fact is, we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the rules of the Chunin exams, a Preliminary exam may be held at any stage, in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining."

"But…Is that fair?" Ino asked with desperate eyes. "Everyone here's already tried so hard to make it this far!"

"It just that; we have to try to speed things up a bit and get the exams going faster when we get to this stage." He offered as an explanation. "As Hokage-sama said, a lot of important guests will be watching; we can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best. So, if any of you feel you're not in top physical condition, now's your chance to…ehe, ehe, ehe, ehe, ehe…"

_Talk about not being in top physical condition_, Ino thought, raising a brow at the coughing Jounin.

_That proctor doesn't look so good himself_, Hinata, always being the concerned girl she is, worried.

"Ehe, ehe, EHE…Sorry about that. Anyway, now is the time for you to back out," He managed to say. "The Preliminaries will be starting immediately."

"Come on! You mean, right now?" Kiba barked.

"We've just finished barely surviving the last exam; don't we get a break?" Ino whined.

"Man, this is so troublesome," Shikamaru groaned.

"Urgh. When do we eat?" Choji complained.

_No way! I'm in for the long run!_ Naruto thought in determination._ I promised Kabuto!_

"Oh yeah…the winners will be determined though one-one-one combat; sudden death," Gekko added. "So, like I said, if there's anyone who's not up to the challenge, raise your hand; now or never."

_Does he really think anyone will quit now? _Sasuke grunted, but stopped when a sharp pain flashed through his shoulder. He quickly grasped the mark and turned his head to look at it, but saw Sakura's frown. She was sweating lightly and he knew that she was worried about him.

"Sasuke…," She whispered, getting his attention. "If the pain is too much….you should back out." Sasuke stared wide-eyed at the girl before turning his attention back to the front.

"It's just as I fear," The Hokage said to Anko and Ibiki.

"What do we do with him?" Ibiki questioned. Anko was quick to answer.

"We take him out of the exam, hand him over to Black-ops and let them keep him locked up," Anko said

"Oh, and he's just going to quietly go along with all of this, huh?" A voice cut into their conversation. "You really think so?" He asked. Anko turned and faced Kakashi. "You're forgetting that he's of the Uchiha clan."

"I don't care what he is! If he stays, he's a danger to everyone!" Anko yelled. "Don't you see? As he gets stronger, so does the curse mark! That thing his feeding off his chakra! It's a forbidden Jutsu that devours the one who bares it." She trailed off, grasping her neck and looking back at the pain-ridden twelve-year-old. "It's incredible that he's still standing."

A head went into the air.

"Huh?" The Hokage grunted, along with a few others. All looked towards the owner of the hand in shock.

"Okay, you got me," Kabuto smiled. "I'm out."

"But…Kabuto…," Naruto said in amazement. Hayate flipped through the papers on his clipboard and stopped at Kabuto's name with a cough.

"Yakushi Kabuto of Konohagakure, right?" He coughed. "Okay, you can go on and step back."

"Gotcha," Kabuto nodded, walking out of the line.

"Kabuto! Hold on a second, you can't quit!" Naruto told him. "I don't get this; what's going on?"

_Pathetic_, Gaara sneered mentally.

"Oh, Naruto. I'm sorry; my body is too beat up to continue," He excused himself. "The fact is, ever since everyone first arrived and that fight with the Sound Village team, I've had no hearing in my left ear. And now to put my life on the line? To fight again without a break? I can't do it."

"Seems to me I've seen him before," The Hokage noticed as he, and everyone else, watched Kabuto. "If my memory serves, this isn't the first time he's dropped out before a battle. What kind of game is he playing?"

"Anko?" Ibiki called.

"Oh, right," Anko snapped back to reality, flipping through the papers on her clipboard. "Yakushi Kabuto…says here he's failed six times in a row."

"What do you have on his background?" The Hokage questioned.

"His time at the academy was not what you'd call impressive," She told them as she read. "Average grades; took him a full three times to pass the graduation exam. As for the missions he's done since then; three C-ranks and fourteen D-ranks. Not exactly a battle record to write home about. However…"

"Go on," Sarutobi Hiruzen prompted.

"There's something before his time in the academy," She told him. "Do you remember the child? The one who was found after the battle of Kikuyu Pass? The only survivor?"

"I remember the story," The Hokage nodded.

"That's him; Yakushi Kabuto," Anko nodded.

"Kabuto, what're you doing? Have you forgotten Orochimaru-sama's orders?" A team mated of Kabuto's asked him.

"I'm leaving that to you," Kabuto told him. "What's wrong? It should be no problem for you. This is your chance to prove yourself. After all, you've always wanted to take my place, haven't you? Go for it."

"Hmm," He grunted. "You may be Orochimaru-sama's favorite, but be careful you don't push it too far."

"Thanks for the advice; I'll keep it in mind," Kabuto smirked, walking past him and looking over to team seven. He waved to them, but was keeping an eye on Sakura. Don't worry Sakura. We'll meet again soon enough…, He mused as he walked out of the door. Hayate coughed.

"Is that all?" Hayate coughed, looking around. "No one else?"

"Sasuke!" Sakura called out to him. He looked back into her determined (and worried) filled eyes. "You should drop out!"

"Huh?" Naruto questioned as both his and Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Your in no condition to fight," Sakura stated, but that didn't seemed to faze Sasuke, so she took another approach. "Your mark still hurts…doesn't it?"

"…Shut up…," Sasuke mumbled while his grip on his shoulder tightened.

"Don't you remember anything that happened back in the forest?" Sakura asked him with determination still burning bright in her eyes.

"Shut up!" Sasuke said a bit louder this time.

"I can see it!" Sakura continued, acting as if he hadn't spoken. "You've been hiding the pain all this time!"

"Be quiet…"

"If your not gonna tell the sensei's about the mark," Sakura said as she began to raise her arm. "…then I'll have to do it for you." Sakura's arm was quickly put back down as Sasuke grabbed her wrist. Sakura gasped while staring at him wide-eyed.

"Shut up about this mark!" Sasuke demanded with anger in his tone. Sakura stared at the Uchiha with tears shimmering in her eyes.

"What am I suppose to do?" She asked the stubborn Uchiha. "Just watch as you suffer and tear yourself apart?"

_Sakura-chan…,_ Naruto thought, watching the entire scene from the background.

"Please…," Sakura pleaded as her voice softened. "I…I'm afraid…"

The Uchiha stood silent. Staring at the wrist he held in his hand. Looking closely at it, Sasuke was able to make out a bruise the shape of a hand on it. He remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking up. "This has nothing to do with you. Just stay out of my business."

"Sasuke I-"

"Sakura," Sasuke cut her off. "I told you before. I am an avenger. This isn't just a test to me. I don't care about Chunin or whatever." The Uchiha looked away from his teammate and released his hold on her wrist. "Am I strong? I just want the answer to that question. If you took that away from me…I can't forgive even you…"

"You bastard!" Naruto exclaimed angrily, finally stepping in. "She's just worried about you! Why do you have to be so-!"

"Naruto," Sasuke cut him off. "I also want to fight you…"

"Right," Hayate coughed, causing the three arguing Genin to turn their attention to him. "Then let's let the preliminary matches begin. It will be one-on-one battles; just like real combat. There will be ten matches and the winner of each will proceed to the next round. There are no rules; you will fight until the opponent is dead, unconscious or admits defeat." He turned and nodded to Anko.

"Open it," She ordered down her microphone. A section of the wall behind the Hokage opened to reveal a screen.

"This screen will show two names; they are the fighters." Hayate paused to cough. "It will determine your battles. Everyone understand?"

"Yes!" Came the chorused answer.

"Then the preliminaries will now begin!" He announced as the screen began to generate random names. When the two names appeared, Sakura frowned.

_Uchiha Sasuke_

_Vs._

_Akadou Yoroi_

"Everyone, except the two participants, please move to the upper level," Hayate ordered. Everyone except the opponents leapt up onto the balconies attached to the walls and observed the match.

"Come one Sakura-chan," Naruto said to the pinkette. Who continued to stared at her dark-haired teammate in worry.

"I'll be right there," She replied, not taking her eyes off Sasuke. Naruto nodded and leaped onto the balcony. But, not before sending a look in Sasuke's direction.

"Sasuke…," Sakura called out to him while walking up to the Uchiha until they were face-to-face.

"What?" Sasuke replied rather harshly.

"I just wanted to say…good luck…and…," The pinkette trailed off. "…try not to use that mark…I don't want you to turn into that thing again…"

Before Sakura could join the others on the balcony, Sasuke called out to her. The pinkette turned back to face him.

"Do…do you remember what happened back in the forest?" The Uchiha hesitantly asked. Sakura eyes suddenly became downcast.

"Not much…," She replied while turning her back on Sasuke. "But…what I do remember is the pain that thing caused me…" Sasuke visible flinched, knowing that she was referring to when he had almost ripped off her arms.

"Sakura…I-"

"It's alright," Sakura cut him off. "Let's both just…forget it ever happened."

"…Yeah…," Sasuke replied as his eyes trailed down to the hand-shaped bruise on her wrist. Without another word, Sakura leaped onto the balcony beside Naruto. Who couldn't help but exchange a worried glance at her. Sasuke, putting Sakura out of his mind, faced his opponent. The battle then commenced. It was a bit difficult, for Yoroi was using a technique to absorb Sasuke's chakra. But, the Uchiha had pulled through and was able to defeat him in the end.

"Winner; Uchiha Sasuke!" Hayate announced. Almost as soon as he said that, Sasuke collapsed and Kakashi appeared before him.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke questioned. His sensei smiled down on him and bent down until their faces were inches apart.

"Great match Sasuke but…," Kakashi lowered his voice. "…we need to go seal up that curse mark…"

"No!" The Uchiha objected. "I want to watch the other's matches."

"I'm afraid this can't wait Sasuke," Kakashi sternly said.

"I say it can." Sasuke then proceeded to lifting himself up off the floor. He staggered a bit, but overly all, managed to get up. A sigh passed through Kakashi's lips.

"Alright," He said in defeat. "But after the preliminaries…you and I are exiting together…understand?"

_Aburame Shino_

_Vs._

_Abumi Zaku_

Sakura could only roll her eyes. It was obvious that Shino was the superior fighter, even if Zaku's arms weren't broken. A groan was heard on the floor as the team looked down at Kiku, whom had been set there courtays of Kakashi.

"Kiku are you ok?" Naruto asked worriedley.

"Ugh... My legs killing me." Kiku muttered. "whats going on? Preliminary?"

"Yeah. Sasuke won his round and Shino just won this round." Sakura said.

"Will you be ok?" Naruto asked.

"Just give me some chakra pills so I can kick but and get healed." Kiku said.

_**Hey kid, I was only able to heal so much... theres something in that snake venom that fucked me up and you up pretty badly. Win this and get healed.**_

"Well, no matter who's picked, it'll be two weirdo's. This contest is chalk full of them," Sakura heard Naruto state.

"Well, your one to talk," Kakashi replied, receiving a chuckled from Sasuke and a laugh from Sakura. Kakashi suddenly cleared his throat while placing a tender hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"This isn't the time for laughter," Kakashi mumbled while pointing a finger at the screen where the next match had been decided. Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the two names that had appeared on the screen.

_Kiku_

_Vs_

_TenTen_

"Well Im up." Kiku muttered, standing on pained legs but she shoved her pain in the back of her mind as she appeard down on the floor along with the bun haired female of Gai's team.

"Your pretty beat up there." Tenten noticed.

"Eh, I can still kick your but easily." Kiku shrugged.

"Are you ready?" The proctor coughed and the two nodded.

"Hey TenTen, no hard feeling after this?" Kiku said with her hand out.

"Sure." Tenten smiled.

"Don't hold back, just cause we are buddys now don't mean we can go easy on eachother." Kiku smiled before getting into a stance along with Tenten.

"Got it.

"Begin!" The proctor yelled and the two ran at eachother.

"Guess I'll make the first move." Kiku muttered after 3 minutes of silence, " Ninja art" Kiku said making a sertain move that Kakashi recognised as the one Zabuza had used, Kiku had her finger to her nose in a hand sign and one leg up, "Hidden mist jutsu!"

The whol areana was suddenly consumed in thick mist, only people above could see the shadows but in the mist Tenten could not see. "Hidden mist huh?" She said before closing her eyes, " I dont need my eyes"

_Water distraction Jutsu!_ Kiku yelled in her head as she formed the hand signs, water dropplet started to loudly land near Tenten who would try to hit the water only to notice it wasn't Kiku.

"Damn it why dont you come out!" Tenten yelled, getting annoyed at the distractions.

"Kakashi-sensei when did Kiku learn water type moves?" Sakura wondered.

"Kiku knows hundreds of Jutsu's. She just never has shown that she does." Kakashi replied as he watched Tenten hit a water clone. "She can perform water type and wind type moves. All her life she studied many of those element jutsu's and practiced them since she was small. Like Naruto she has almost the same amound of Chakra."

"Wow really? Thats so cool!" Naruto said as he saw Tenten was able to hit Kiku and dispell the mist, "you can do it Kiku!"

"Grrrr Wind blade!" Kiku yelled as air formed into a blade and almost cut into Tenten who dodged.

"Kakashi, I want to know more about Kiku. Can you tell us?" Sasuke asked, they knew alot about eachother exept for Kiku. Everyone knew about Sasuke and Naruto and Sakura but Kiku they knew nothing about.

"It's not up to me really. Kiku will tell you when she is ready." Kakashi replied, Tenten and Kiku were fighting hard, both sporting some injuries.

"Isn't there something?" Naruto asked. He was curious too.

"Well, I can give you a hint but thats it. She was hated for the same thing you were hated for Naruto." Kakashi said, Naruto's eyes widened as he stared down at Kiku as her eyes flashed like a preditor.

"Hikui Tenkuu Assaku no Jutsu!" Kiku suddenly yelled, suddenly the air pressure in the room started dropping fast.

"C-cant breath!" Tenten coughed out, fealing light headed.

Kiku then made more hand signs as she ran at Tenten before kicking her into the air, "Kaze Kiri no Jutsu!" Kiku yelled, sucking in a big amount of air before an arrow appeard, soon transforming into a large drill, As Tenten fell back down Kiku released the drilling air, it shot up and smashed into Tenten who let out a scream of pain and blood to splatter all over Kiku.

Tenten then crashed towards the ground, not before painfully pulling out a scroll and summoning hundreds of blades to fall onto Kiku. Tenten then smashed into the floor, and Kiku got hit with hundreds of the swords, many sticking into her body.

"Argh!" Kiku yelled in pain, Tenten lay unconcious and Kiku collapsed onto her knees.

"Winner Kiku Karasu!" The proctor yelled.

"Alright Kiku!" Naruto cheered, jumping up and down.

"Thanks Naruto..." Kiku muttered before her eyes shut and she collapsed.

* * *

><p>Sakura ran down the halls towards where Kiku was being held. She had just gotten through a fight with Ino and was racing to see how her friend was. She had only taken a couple of steps before bumping right into someone. The pinkette staggered back and gaze up into the mask of an ANBU. The ANBU wore a porcelain animal mask as well as a standard uniform consisting of black and gray armor, metal arm guards, and a signature spiral tattoo on his left shoulder.<p>

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan," The ANBU apologized, his voice indicating him to be a male. Sakura's eyes narrowed. Something about the ANBU was off to her, and the fact that he knew her name was even more suspicious.

"How do you know my name?" Sakura asked, causing the ANBU to chuckle.

"Feisty little girl, aren't you?" Sakura glared. "No need to be alarmed. It's my job to know the names of many shinobi's."

"If you say so," Sakura shrugged, not believing a word he said, but deciding to not press the matter." Im going to see Kiku."

"Im sorry but no one is allowed into her room right now. She is in critical condition. One of the swords peirced an important artery."The ANBU said.

"Fine. If she wakes tell her I was hear." Sakura said. The ANBU nodded and proceeded to walking ahead, right past the pinkette. As their shoulders brushed, Sakura froze. Her inner voice now telling her that something was off about that Black Op. She turned her head slightly, the corner of her eye staring at the ANBU's retreating back. He seemed to sense her stare, for he had turned his head slightly as well. With her fear growing, Sakura silenced her inner voice and continued her way down the hall. The ANBU smirked.

Kabuto smirked as he Sakura's signature disappeared as she continued down the hall. Once completely out-of-range, Kabuto entered the room where Kiku laid resting on the hospital bed. The man stared at the sleeping form for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"How unfortunate," Kabuto whispered while removing the ANBU mask. "I really don't want to harm you but…orders are orders." Kabuto then made hand signs and a poof was heard, Orochimaru appearing in the room.

"Perfect, you have everyone of those nurses out of the way, now we wont be interupted." Orochimaru smirked as he walked over to the unconcious girl.

"Poor Kiku Karasu thought you could escape. Those eyes will be mine along with Sasuke's and there will never be an escape for you." Orochimaru chuckled coldly as he stroked her cheek, "Lets begin"


	9. The Finals Unexpected guests!

Kiku leaned against the bridge, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were intently listening to Kakashi talk about how their training was going to work out. Naruto was to be trained by a Sannin named Jaraiya and Sasuke was going to be trained by Kakashi. Sakura faild to make it so she didnt count in the leasons and as for Kiku well, Kabuto said he knew a teacher that could help her with a few things. Glancing at the sky she remembered what had happened before, wen Orochimaru gave her the curse marks.

_Orochimaru grinned as he lifted the side of Kiku's shirt, revealing her hip. "This is where your mark will be." Orochimaru laughed as he extended his head, "I shall place two seals on this one." He suddenly had two heads now._

_"Two marks huh? After all Rinnengan is the hardest to find. There's only two people in the entire world with it." Kabuto smirked before placing his mask and cloak back on._

_"Stay in disguise, after this you are to watch over her and Sasuke." Orochimaru said before one head bit Kiku's side while the other bit her neck opposite to where Sasuke's mark was. Kabuto quickly held Kiku down as Orochimaru did this._

_She woke with a blood curtaling scream, Kabuto's hand covered her mouth to muffle it. She thrashed as much as she could, screams continuously coming out._

_Karasu whats going on! It burns! Help me!_

_**Its the snake! He's putting that seal on us! Hang on Kiku I sence someone coming to help just hold on and fight it!**_

_I cant! It hurts to much!_

_"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Kiku had screamed through Kabuto's hand, thrashing even more, Orochimaru withdrew with a smirk before dissapearing._

_Foot steps were heard coming towards the door as Sasuke and Kakashi ran in, Kabuto dissapearing before he could be seen._

_"Sasuke hold her down!" Kakshi ordered as he saw the bleeding marks, Naruto ran in behind them as Sasuke ran over to hold Kiku down._

_"Kiku! What happened to her?" Naruto Demanded Eyes narrowing._

_"Orochimru must have shown up, I knew I should have stayed with her." Kakashi said as he preformed some seals._

_"ARGH It hurts!" Kiku screamed, writhing in agony, Sasuke frowned and Naruto looked frantic._

_"I know Kiku, I know..." Sasuke muttered, remembering how it felt for him too._

Kiku came out of her thoughts when a flash of silver caught her attention, grinning she greeted the familar object.

"Kabu-chan!" She squealed hugging him.

"You know, with how you've been acting I swear you turned into a fan-girl." Kabuto sniggered.

"Fan-girl where?" Sasuke suddenly said, tense and looking all about.

"Not you Sasuke, he meant Kiku since she is all over him." Naruto said grumpily.

_Why does she even like that guy!_ Naruto growled in his head, ever since the Chunnin's Kiku started hanging around Kabuto. He had a feeling she liked him and it made Naruto's heart clench painfully.

"Awwwww, " Kiku gushed, letting go of Kabuto before pinching Naruto's cheek's, "Naruto's m.r grumpy!"

"Ouch! Kiku let goooo owwww!" Naruto whined when she pulled to hard.

"You ready?" Kabuto asked, interupting the two friends.

"Yup." Kiku replied before letting go.

"Where are you going?" Naruto and Sakura asked.

"Kabu-chan knows someone who can help teach me for the rest of the exams. " Kiku replied with a grin.

"Well good luck Kiku." Sakura waved along with Naruto.

"See you guys in a month!" Kiku yelled with a wave before running to catch up to Kabuto.

Kiku walked next to Kabuto as they started to leave Kanoha and into the forrest. Both walking in silence till Kabuto spoke up.

"So Kiku, I dont know much about you. Were you born hear in Kanoha?" Kabuto asked, looking at Kiku out of the corner of his eye.

_**Dont tell him to much Kiku. Just basic information that everyone else knows.**_

_I know Karasu._

"Nope. I was an Orphan found in the forest one day covered in blood and cuts. Chakra compleatly depleated, almost died too." Kiku stated.

"How? Where are you from?" Kabuto wondered.

"Dont know. I just remember being found by Kakashi, He's been like a dad to me but no one knows this so shhhh." Kiku giggled at him, " He took me in for a while until he had to leave for some serious mission so I had to go somewhere else and Kotetsu desided to take me in, later I found out he had to get a gennin team so I hoped I'd be on his team just to give him a hard time. I used to be close with Sasuke but we kinda grew apart, what with all his annoying fan-girls and all."

"Do you like him?" He asked.

"What? Eww no way." Kiku said making a face, "He's like a brother of some sort. Hey I noticed you have healing type Chakra."

"H-how'd you know that?" Kabuto asked shocked, no one was supposed to know.

"We'll I dont know I just see it. Like your Chakra is green to me indicating healing, Sasuke's is mixed of red and bluish white indicating he has fire and lightning chakra, Naruto's is white, basically like wind, but around his stumach is a malicious red." Kiku stated, pulling out some food she packed to munch on.

"You see all this?"

"Yup, I dont know how but ever since I can remember I can see people's chakra and what jutsu's their most compatable with." Kiku yawned, Shikyo flying near by in the sky.

"There you are Kabuto, your late." Came a cold voice, Kiku looked infront of her and saw a man with golden colored hair and Mauve purple eyes. He wore a white shirt with a dark grey over shirt that was all unbuttond in front. His arms were crossed and his emotionless eyes scanned over me.

_Great, another person with a poll up his ass._

_**Heh, Thats what you thought about Kabuto but you ended up making his face show something.**_

_Heh yeah over embarassment when I glomp him heheh._

"Kiku, this is Marrow Akihiro. Marrow this is Kiku Karasu the one I told you about." Kabuto said, "And I'll leave it to you! bye!" Kabuto quickly dissapeard.

"Kabu-chan! Get back hear! ugh..." Kiku stared at where he was then at Marrow, "Hi?"

"Hm, not much to work with." Marrow muttered.

"I heard that!" Kiku growled. "If your some kind of genius then you should know not to underestimate your apponents."

"Hm, Whatever." Marrow muttered again before looking at Kiku then turning around, "Fallow."

* * *

><p>Kiku stood hunched over, her hands on her knees and breath comeing out in pants. She was covered in bruises, cuts, dirt and scratches. The training area was covered in debree and acrossed from her stood a minimally injured Marrow who was panting also but he stood, eyes trained on her. She had more wounds then he and her eyes glared annoyed at him,<p>

"You could still use some improvement." Marrow stated, standing up and closing his eyes arrogently.

"Urgh! I've been training for 5 days strait! I could use a break..." Kiku growled out.

_**Yeah!**_

_He sure is making us work, I dont think I've gone this long with training every day all day, only having time to eat and sleep._

_**Naw your just lazy**_

_I am not!_

"Stop being lazy and whiney." Marrow stated annoyed.

"Im not lazy! I've used up almost all of my chakra..." Kiku glowered.

"Use The crow's chakra then."He stated,

"Wait what? The crow's chakra..." Kiku glared at Marrow, her body becomeing tense, only the Hokage, Kakashi, and Kotetsu knew about Karasu. Well actually the sand siblings too.

Marrow's eyes widened as if realizing his slip up, "Uhm, well... its obvious. I heard about your transformation fighting some rougue nin's. Only someone who has Karasu in them can do that and I mean come on you have his name as your last name, Karasu may not be as powerful as the nine tails but he's up there with the the 3 tails." Marrow stated.

_He know's about the tailed demons too?_

_**This guy's got lots of information that he should not know. I may be up there with the 3 tails but Im still concidered a semi-weak demon compared to the power of the bijuu.**_

_I know, well whatever I guess it cant be helped, I mean you would have senced if he was bat right?_

_**Yeah, just do as he says for now so we can pass the Chunin exams!**_

_Yosh! wow I felt like Lee there for a second..._

_**Hehhehheh.**_

_Stop picturing me in that ugly green spandex!_

"Your pretty good at Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, you have absalutly no Genjutsu what so ever... so I guess you need practice in staying out of Genjutsu's." Marrow said with a sigh, "Before I can teach you anymore we will have to work on your Genjutsu, prepare yourself.

He suddenly did a few hand signs and Kiku's world turned black, filled with blood, screams, innocent people dyeing, she had alot to get through...

* * *

><p>Sasuke stood panting, beat up and tired. Acrossed from him stood Kakashi, with his sharingan out.<p>

"Your getting better, but not good enough try again!" Kakashi commanded.

"Arg!" Sasuke yelled in frustration before running at a bolder making a few hand sign's. "Chidori!"

Small electrical currents shot from Sasuke's palm as he ran at the boulder before punching it, making a small dent.

"Until you break it we will not continue forward." Kakashi stated, on his right was a very very large boulder that he had broken into little itty bitty peice's with his Chidori, "I want those boulders like this one."

Sasuke glared at Kakashi then glared at the smaller boulders placed in around them in a cirlcle. "Hn."

* * *

><p>Naruto sat frustrated, an angry expression on his face as he glared at the man before him. He then bit his thumb and made the proper hand signs, "Summoning Jutsu!"<p>

A poof resounded and there stood a tiny little tad pole.

"Again."

"Arg! Pervy sage cant you see its bigger!" Naruto roared at the frustrating man.

"Only by one centimeter. Do it again."

"SUMMONING JUTSU!"

Another tad pole...

"ARG! SUMMONING JUTSU!"

Another tad pole about 5 centimeter's bigger then the last, flopping patheticly about on the floor.

"Alright lets try something else." Jaraiya stated, Naruto stood and walked over to him with a glare. The next thing he knew was Jaraiya preforming hand sign's, punching him in the stummach and throwing him over the edge of a very high and very dark cliff.

"Ah! Your trying to kill me!" Naruto screamed as he fell... and fell... and fell.

* * *

><p><strong>-Time skip-<strong>

**One month later...**

Kiku stood, walking into Konoha. It had been one month of hard gruling training with Marrow and in time they grew close. Marrow walked next to her, yawning before looking back at Kiku with a small smile. Over time she grew on him and he opened up to her, he opened up alot and reveiled that he had been bitten by Orochimaru also, on his neck was a curse mark different from Sasuke's but a curse mark all the same. They grew close like a brother/sister kind of relationship to her at least.

"Thanks for all you taugh me, Marrow-sensei." Kiku winked at him and he looked the other way, embarrassed.

"No problem." He muttered. She noticed he muttered when he was getting shy or trying not to show he was going to blush.

"I want you to meet my friends, come with me to Konoha hospital, I heard Naruto is in there along with Lee." Kiku said, grabbing Marrow's hand and dragging him into the hospital. She marched right up to the desk, ordering to know where Naruto was. The nurse told her and Kiku ran down the hall before bursting into Naruto's room. She saw Shikamaru by his bed and Naruto glaring at a fruit basket.

"Naruto!" Kiku yelled, getting his attention as she lunged over to him, glomping him into a big hug.

"K-kiku-chan!" Naruto stuttered with a blush.

_Oh man she almost walked in on me telling Shikamaru that Im starting to like her._ Naruto nervously thought to himself.

"I missed you!" Kiku smiled before glomping Shikamaru.

"Ah man, get off, what a drag."Shikimaru muttered.

"Who's that?" Naruto asked, seeing Marrow.

"Oh, This is Marrow Akihiro! He's been helping me." Kiku smiled at Marrow who looked rather embarrassed. He hated being the center of attention, "Say hi."

"Hi..." He muttered.

"You were with him for a whole month!" Naruto sputtered.

"Yup!" Kiku smiled, "Anyway, Naruto Im gunna go check on Lee ok? Bye!" Kiku then ran out the door before Naruto could say anything. She then sprinted into Lee's room.

"So you were the one with Kiku?" Naruto asked, turning his attention to Marrow who raced out of the room too, making Naruto's eye twitch.

* * *

><p>Lee slept peacefully on his own hospital bed. The door to his room suddenly opened as someone entered, an ominous aura emanating from said person. His footsteps echoed around the silent room as he made his way toward the sleeping boy. His bloodshot eyes burned with bloodlust and a voice in his head beckoned the boy to end Lee's life, just as he should have during their match in the Preliminary Rounds.<p>

His hand hovered over Lee's face, clenching and unclenching, as if not knowing what to do. At that moment, he made his decision. Sand carried itself out of the gourd on his back and wrapped itself around the Genin of Team 10. Just as he was about to clench his fist, ending Lee's life completely, his body stopped itself._ W-What is this? I-I can't…move._

His head snapped to the side and his cheek stung from the punch he had received from a certain purple-haired kunouchi. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?" she bellowed, taking a stand beside Naruto and Shikamaru whom had fallowed her and Marrow. Shikamaru was currently rubbing his sore cheek.

"Hey," he groaned. "While I'm using the Shadow Copy no Jutsu, I move the same as him and feel whatever he feels."

"Oh…sorry." She then turned her attention back to Gaara, The spot where she had punched him crippled and fell onto the floor, as if it was made of sand. "Like I said, what do you think you're doing here?" she said, menacing lacing in her voice.

Gaara seemed unaffected by her tone and stared down at her with an impassive look. "I was trying to kill him," he said with a monotone voice.

"Why is there a need to do that?" Shikamaru spoke up. "You won the fight! Do you have some personal grudge against him?"

Gaara kept him face neutral, as well as his voice as he said, "I do not…I'm going to kill him just because I want to."

"WHAT THE HELL, BASTARD?" Naruto shouted, unable to believe his answer. "What kind of an answer is that?" he said, not as loud.

"If you get in my way…," Gaara began, a bloodlust look taking over his features. "…I'll kill you too."

"Just try!" Naruto challenged, going right back to yelling. Kiku's eyebrow furrowed as she kept eye-contact with Gaara. Without even knowing him, she could tell that he's been through a lot to get him to the way his is now. Instead of anger, she only felt pity toward him. But, either way, she had to stop him before he hurts someone in this room.

"We all know from your fight that you're strong," she said with a smirk, trying to swallow down her anxiety. "But we're not so bad ourselves. Plus, it's 3 on 1; you're at a disadvantage. If you listen to what we say we'll let you leave quietly."

Gaara continued to stare her down. "I'll say it again…get in my way and I'll kill you," he said as though she hadn't spoken at all.

"I won't be killed by someone like you!" Naruto exclaimed with determination evident in his eyes. "I have a monster in me! So I won't lose to someone like him!"

Gaara closed his eyes, obviously getting impatient. "A monster, eh?" he mumbled. "I guess we're the same. I was born into his world by taking the life of the women I would have called my mother...To become the ultimate Shinobi, with my father attaching the incarnation of the sand upon me through Ninjutsu...I was born a monster."

"Incarnation of sand…?" Marrow whispered.

"Called the Shukaku, it was sealed within a kettle," he continued as though she hadn't spoken. "It's the living spirit of an old Hidden Sand Priest."

"A possession Jutsu that allows one to be possessed before birth," Kiku mused. "To go that far...that's crazy."

"Heh...that's something a parent does?" Shikamaru smirked, trying to comprehend what he was hearing, "what a strange expression of love."

Gaara's eyes suddenly turned downcast. "Love…?" Gaara mused, "family…you want to know what kind of connection that is to me?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Kiku asked, feeling nervous. Gaara locked eyes with her and She shuddered beneath his blood thirsty gaze.

"It's simply pieces of meat connected to me with murderous intent and hatred," he said, his face remaining impassive. "By sacrificing my mother's life...I was created as the village's greatest masterpiece as Kazekage's son. My father taught me the Shinobi secrets; I was spoiled and allowed to do as I pleased."

"Is that what you think love is?" Naruto bellowed.

"I thought it was love…until that incident occurred."

Gaara's face suddenly took a deranged look as his eyes, once again, burned with the bloodlust it craved. His smirk grew until it gave him a look similar to a lunatic. "For the last 6 years from when I was just a boy...," Gaara said sinisterly. "...my own father has tried countless times to assassinate me!"

All three Genin gasped and grew wide-eyed. Kiku's eyes became misty. "T-thats not what parents do!"

"What do you know?" Gaara cried, causing Sakura to cringe. "From what I've heard, you never had a family! How are you supposed to know what parents do?"

"Why you-!" Naruto said, beginning to charge at Gaara. He came to a halt, though, when Kiku put an arm in-front of him; preventing him from going any further. "K-Kiku?"

"Naruto…he's right," she said calmly. Kiku was surprised when the bloodlust in Gaara's eyes seem to fade a little, as if her words were finally taking some effect on him. "I don't know what it means to have parents. But…that doesn't mean I don't know what it means to be loved."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. Seeing as she was getting through to him, Kiku sent him a small smile. "Just because someone doesn't have any parents, doesn't mean that their not loved," she continued. "I have all the love from all my friends, sensei's and teammates. And…I'm sure you do too Gaara…you just don't see it."

"To them I am simply an object from the past that they wish would disappear," Gaara said, anger evident in his voice. "Then why do I exist? Why am I alive? When I thought about this I could not find any answer...But as you live, you need a reason, otherwise it's the same as being dead."

"I then came to this conclusion, 'I exist to kill every human besides myself'. I finally found relief within the fear of death, of never knowing when someone would try to assassinate me...," he continued. "By continually killing the assassins, I understood the reason to continue living. Fighting for only yourself, living while loving yourself. If you think that everyone else simply exists to allow you to experience that feeling, nothing is better than that world. As long as there are people in this world for me to kill...and continued to feel that joy of living...my existence will not vanish."

Shikamaru averted his gaze to Gaara and gasped. Gaara began manipulating the sand to hover over him. "Now…," Gaara said with bloodlust evident in his eyes. "Let me feel it!"

"That's enough!" a voice spoke up. Gaara retreated his sand back into his gourd. Everyone looked over to the doorway to see Guy-sensei. "The finals are soon," he said, "don't get so antsy."

"Ugh!" Gaara cried, cradling his head in pain. Kiku went over to his side and placed a hand tenderly on his shoulder. Gaara gasped at the contact and flinched away from it. He looked her straight in the eye and the pinkette couldn't make-out the expression on his face. "Just wait…I'll get you guys," he said before heading out of the room.

* * *

><p>"In this main tournament…you guys are the stars." The voice of the Chunin was blocked out by the chatter of the thousands of people surrounding them, each one anticipating a good fight. Kiku, and all the other Genin's, stood in the center of the arena. She glanced around, in search of her teammates. Naruto caught her eye and gave her an encouraging smile, which she returned.<p>

_Where the hell is Sasuke? Actually, this works out better….if he's not here then he can't fight Gaara…_

_**Maybe chicken but ran off scared?**_

_Naw, Uchiha isn't like that. Hey actually now that I think about it Sasuke's hair also looks like a ducks butt._

Up on the podium above the Genin's heads, sat the Hokage, who was currently beckoning one of his Jounin's over to him. Said Jounin with various scars across his face bent down until they were face-to-face. "You haven't found Sasuke yet?" Sarutobi whispered, glancing around in case anyone was listening in.

"We have a few ANBU teams looking around," the Jounin replied. "But...no luck."

"Could Orochimaru already have...," Sarutobi considered, speaking more to himself than the Jounin, "if so...then finding him will be..." The Hokage's voice trailed off as he noticed someone in a cloak similar to his walking toward him. "Well. Well," he greeted with a smile. "If it isn't Kazekage Dono. You must be tired from the journey."

The Kazekage took a seat beside the Hokage and glanced down at the Genin's below. His eyes lingered on a certain red-haired demon container. "Not at all, it's a good thing it's held here this time," Kazekage Dono said. "While you're still young, the trip may have been too much for you, Hokage-sama. Maybe it's time you decide on the fifth...?"

Sarutobi chuckled. "Please don't treat me like an old man," he said. "I intend to do this for another 5 years…Now let's begin, shall we?" The Hokage stood up and directed the crowd's attention towards him. "THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR COMING!" he shouted, making sure every person in the arena could hear him. "WE ARE PROUD TO HOST THE HIDDEN LEAF CHUNIN SELECTION EXAM!"

Sarutobi took a glance at all the Genin before continuing. "WE WILL NOT START THE MAIN TOURNAMENT MATCHES!" he continued. "BETWEEN THE 9 PARTICIPANTS WHO MADE IT THROUGH THE PRELIMINARIES! PLEASE STAY AND WATCH UNTIL THE END!"

"If it's Nine...," the Kazekage mused. "...one seems to be missing." Sarutobi snuck a glance at him and frowned.

"Excuse me?" Naruto called out to the Chunin. "If Sasuke isn't here, what are you gonna do?"

"If he doesn't appear by the time of his match," he replied with a voice that indicates that he could care less whether Sasuke was here or not, "he will receive a default loss."

"Alright guys, this is the final test," the Chunin spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "The arena is different but the rules are the same as in the Preliminaries; there are none. You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. But if I determine that the fight is over...I'll step in and stop it, you got that?" The Chunin rested his hands on Sakura and Neji's shoulders. "The first match will be against Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuuga. Everyone else, go wait in the waiting room."

"Good luck Naruto!" Kiku grinned at Naruto who also grinned back.

"Who need's luck I can so beat him!" Naruto laughed whole heartedly, the Hyuuga grunted and glared at Naruto before walking off.

"Kick his butt!" Kiku laughed, giving Naruto a high five.

Naruto gave his trade mark 'Believe it!' before running off into the arenna. Kiku watched on as Naruto and Neji faught, She was seething with anger at all the insults the stuck up Hyuuga threw at her friend.

"How troublesome." Shikimaru sighed.

"I know he can do it." Kiku stated with not even one ounce of doubt in her. Feeling eyes boring into her back she glanced behind her to see Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. Brushing aside the uncomfortable feeling she got from Gaara she marched up to them.

"Hey there, thought about my offer?" Kankuro said grinning slyly. Kiku ignored him and stood infront of Temari who glared at her. Temari had to fight twice, once against her then once against Shikimaru.

"Yeah what is it?" Temari said in a semi cold tone.

Kiku put her hand out infront of her causing Temari to raise an eyebrow. "After this no hard feelings. I can tell you'd make a great friend so how bout after this we be friends?" Kiku said with a grin.

Kankuro turned to look at Temari with a small worried glance and Temari side glanced at him before looking back at Kiku.

"I dont need any friends." Temari stated before going into a full out ignore mode.

"How bout if I beat you?" Kiku asked making Temari glare over at me.

"If you could, fine then if you beat me." Temari said, trying to get Kiku to leave.

_Its better this way... We cant have any attachments._ Temari thought

"Well then count on me becomeing your next best friend." Kiku grinned cockiley before looking at Gaara too, "Maybe we could be friends too m.r grumpy."

Gaara glared at her more, "I dont neet any." Cam his cold reply.

"To bad you got one!" Kiku grinned at him before turning and wakling back to Shikimaru.

"Are you crazy?" He said with an annoyed look.

Kiku then looked back at him before holding her hand up, closing her hand in a fist aside from her thumb and pointer finger, leaving them curled a bit and a little spaced apart.

"A Little, ok then." Shikimaru sighed.

"What did I miss?" Kiku asked.

"Naruto's getting pretty beat." Shikimaru said, hearing this Kiku turne dher attention back to the fight, seing Naruto on the floor.

"Once a loser always a loser." Neji stated arrogently. Kiku really really wanted to murder this person.

Suddenly she saw the ground slightly move and up popped Naruto, fist in Neji's chin causing the jerk to go flying acrossed the feild.

"That a boy Naruto!" Kiku Cheered, "Take your fate thing and shove it up your mph!"

Shikimaru placed his hand over Kiku's mouth while he watched the two talk. Kiku flailing about animatedly, vein throbbing in her forehead with annoyance.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto." The proctor called, a few people cheered and then the proctor called the next match.

Shino

vs

Kankuro

Kankuro quickley forfetted. Causing a bunch of grumbles from the stadium. It went like that for a little while, a few people forfetting.

Sabaku no Temari

vs

Karasu Kiku

Kiku grinned as she high fived Naruto before jumping off the bar instead of going down the stairs, she did a few flips before landing on her feat and waiting for Temari. She soon appeard and waited acrossed from her, both glaring at eachother.

"May the best person win." Kiku grinned.

"Oh trust me I will." Temari stated before pulling her fan out.

"Begin!"

"Wind syth jutsu!" Temari yelled, slashing her fan at Kiku who grinned before making a handsign.

"Wind release; Great breakthrough!" Kiku yelled, taking in a big breath, holding her hands to her mouth before blowing a huge gust of wind that began breaking up the ground a bit, countering Temari's attack and sending her into a wall.

"Arg, Wind style; Cutting Whirlwind!" Temari yelled again, a giagantic whirlwind started to appear and flew towards Kiku who cursed under her breath, trying to dodge said whilrwind. There was no use as she got swept up inside.

A strangled scream came out of Kiku's mouth as her skin starting to get cut open. She flew up extremeley high then smashed into the floor face first.

"What did you expect? To win agains me? I was born in wind country, its my specialty. As if you could defeat me with my own specialty ha!" Temari taunted.

"Arg... Heh... I have you r-right where... I want you." Kiku said slowly, Temari seemed confused for a second before something came rushing at her threw the tree's, landing a horrible punch to the face. Temari flew acrossed the Arena and smashed into the wall, leaving a very huge dent.

"H-how did you..." Temari stuttered before looking down to see a where she had been laying, a clone had poofed away revealing a hole, then while Temari must have been distracted with taunting Kiku's unmoving form she tunneled under and behind her to the tree. At the bark of the tree was a hole where she came out and climbed the tree.

"Try this on for size!" Kiku yelled before preforming hand signs "Water style; Exploading water shockwave!"

Water flew out of Kiku's mouth, filling the areana ground with Water, However Temari dodged it and landed on one of the trees, "You cant get me with that! Wind syth jutus!" Temari yelled, blowing her fan at Kiku who dodged, slidding acrossed the surface of watter that went up to her knees. Temari jumped down again with the same attack, landing half of the attack on Kiku who tried to roll under Temari. Kiku was able to get behind Temari and Kiku let out a crazed laugh.

"I learned this baby on my first B-ranked mission, Water style; Water prison jutsu!" Kiku yelled, all the water from the floor began to get soaked up and all of it went around Temari, traping her inside of the prison.

"Now to finish it..." Kiku panted, whom was almost out of Chakra.

_If this does not work Im done fore..._

_**It has to work!**_

"Wind style; Wind arrow!" Kiku yelled, using her other hand as a big giant arrow formed at her mouth and shot out strait at the prison. It peirced through the prison and through Temari.

Not having enough Chakra to keep the prison up Kiku lost control of it as the water disperced. Leaving a panting and tired Kiku... and a worn Temari whom had only got cut on her left arm.

"That's it... " Kiku said panting, about to raise her hand.

"Come on Kiku! Don't quit!" a voice yelled from the stand.

Kiku's eyes fallowed the sorce of yell and spotted Naruto, whom looked furious with her for even thinking it.

_Im out of Chakra... how am I supposed to defeat her?_

_**Well... I guess this is my que.**_

_wha-_

**"Demon style;"** A male demonic voice said through Kiku's mouth, causing every person to freeze at the horrible scary tone.

_Wow you sound terribly scary, If I wasnt so used to you I would have pissed myself!_

**"Exploding raven!"**The voice said from her lips again, hands together in the bird sign.

Suddenly crow's starded pooring out of her opened mouth, all black as night with painfully bright yellow eyes. They all swarmed around the arena, cawing loudly. Temari cut some down with her syth, annoyed at the vermin flying around her. Suddenly the crows began to swarm around Temari only, closing in tighter and tighter and tighter. Temari let out a scream as a few pecked her.

**"Chaos blast!"** Kiku screamed in the demonic voice as the crows began to glow bloody red and suddenly they exploded, leaving a nocked out Temari.

(An: Yeah I know Shadow the hedgehog much? Idc I had wanted something Like Deidara's Arts a blast but nothing cool came to me so I just put that. Lame I know but aw well)

"Did I do it?" Kiku's voice turned normal before passing out as well.

* * *

><p>( time skip)<p>

Time seamed to speed before Karasu as it went from Naruto fighting Neji and winning, to Sasuke showing up late, Sand Attacking the village, Orochimaru killing Sarutobi-sama, Naruto fighting Garra, She could remember blocking a hit for Sasuke when his seal acted up, she remembered hers acting up as well but despite her pain she ran infront of Sasuke and took a killer blow. Now she was laying in a hospital bed wondering what had happened.

_**Alot has happened kid... Naruto left for training with that frog sannin Jaraiya and something was up, Sasuke comes to visit every now and then and Sakura visit's every day. I think Naruto is in trouble.**_

_Naruto is in trouble! I have to go help him!_ Kiku rushed up out of the bed, she was feeling ill but she ignored it and ran to wehre Karasu said he heard them going. While Kiku was out he could hear everything she could not.

* * *

><p>Naruto sat in the apartment, glaring out a window. '<em>Stupid pervy sage... Leaving me hear to go after some chick. I want to hurry back! Kiku could wake up anytime now... I hope she is ok' <em>Naruto thought sadley.

A nock hit the door rapidly and Naruto got up, "Just a second!" He yelled annoyed before opening the door, there stood Kiku, hair a mess and tousled cloths from running... bare feet, "K-kiku? What are you doing hear? You look like you just got out of hospital! when did you wake up? Are you ok?"

"Naruto!" Kiku said after he was done asking all those questions, she launched herself into him with a huge hug, "I missed you..." Kiku said eyes watering.

The whole time Kiku had been running there she had an indescribable feeling that naruto was going to be in trouble and she was filled with fear, She couldn't let Naruto get harmed in any way!

"K-Kiku..." Naruto blushed suddenly, he turned and shut the door before hugging her back, "Whats wrong?"

"I-I dont know! I thought... I had a bad feeling something was going to happen to you" Kiku muttered before letting go.

"Im glad your ok." She smiled sweetly at him. This smile made him grin back.

_Yeah, Im definitley starting to really like Kiku...'_ Naruto thought to himself, "Hey well now that your hear wanna do something?"

"Uhmm yeah Im exausted and I kind of snuck out of the hospital when I woke..." Kiku muttered looking down.

"You snuck out!" Naruto yelled, Kiku cringed thinking she was going to get scolded, "Thats awsome! I always get caught and forced to stay" He laughed.

"Y-yeah!" Kiku grinned nervously, "I know!" Kiku suddenly cried out.

"W-what?" Naruto asked startled at the cry before he looked at her evil grin.

"Wha?"

"Lets spar!" She said, "Taijutsu only so we dont destroy the apartment."

"uhm I dont know." Naruto said, worried about her since she had just woken up from being nocked out since the chunnin exams.

"Aww why not? Scared?" Kiku teased, "I guess Sasuke is stronger then you."

Naruto glared at her for a second but noticed the teasing glint in her eye's before he lunged, "I'll show you strenght Believe it!"

Kiku ducked when he pounced and rolled under him, she then shot her foot out and kicked his butt so he face planted into the wall, "Naruto stop making out with the wall!" She laughed before lunging behind the couch when Naruto threw a pillow at him, "So thats how it is? No Taijutsu but Pillow fight? Your on!" Kiku let out a battle cry before lunging at Naruto, smacking him in the face. He just laughed and they continued throwing whas seemed to be an endless supply of pillows, hundreds were flying everywhere.

"Sneak attack!" Kiku yelled, launching herself through the mass of pillows before takling Naruto who was able to flip them over and pin her.

"Ha! I win!" Naruto cheered, Kiku blushed.

"Uh, Naruto..." She muttered. Naruto looked down at her, he had her pinned beneath him and if someone walked in it would look wrong, he started turning red too.

_'would she push me away if i kissed her?_ Naruto wondered, remembering when he tried to kiss Sakura as Sasuke, but this wasn't Sakura and Kiku never showed any signs of dis-like to him. Her eyes shone embarrasment and nervousness. He started to lean down, their lips getting closer, and Closer.

"N-naruto..."

Knock, Knock, Knock.

Naruto glared at the door and got up, brushing himself off with a blush, helping her up then going to the door.

"Who are you?" Kiku heard Naruto ask.

"Naruto-san, your comeing with us." A familiar voice that made Kiku's heart freeze came from the door. She walked fast towards Naruto, her heart beating hard and fast.

"Naruto who is it?" Kiku asked, trying not to have a shakey voice. The door opened wider and there he stood.

_I-Itachi Uchiha..._

_**And some blue dude.**_

"I-Itachi."Kiku's voice came out scared and startled.

"Your know him?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke's older brother... murderer to the Uchiha clan and S-rank villan, traitor to Konoha..." Kiku said.

_Im sorry Itachi-neesan..._

"Kiku..." Was Itachi's only reply before Naruto and Kiku found themself suddenly out in the halls, "Don't make this difficult."

"You cant have him!" Kiku yelled suddenly, startling Naruto. "I know about you damned Akatsuki rats!"

"She knows us?" The blue shark man asked, glaring at Kiku.

"Kiku Karasu, holder of a one tailed crow demon," Itachi said, Naruto looked at her with wide eyes.

"Supposed to be a Chunnin but stayed Genin for the sake of escaping the center of attention. Attrackted the eyes of Sannin Orochimaru, Can preform Chunnin jutsu's and A few Jounin Jutsu's." The blue man stated.

_**Fish man.**_

_Shh Karasu..._

"Naruto Uzumaki, holder of the nine tailed fox." Fish man said again, his eyes staying on Naruto. "Well well, we were only taking one but if this little girl knows us then we got to take her to Leader."

"I am not going anywhere and Neither is Naruto!" Kiku yelled, but she suddenly found herself being slammed against the wall with a scream of pain, Itachi's hands at her throught, "Nee-san.." Kiku whispered loud enough for only Itachi to hear.

"Your still weak Kiku... You'll never defeat me with your current state." The Uchiha whispered in her ear before throwing her acrossed the hall, Kiku skid to a stop and glared.

_What do we do Karasu?_

_**Give in... Give in to me.**_

_Your not Karasu!_

_**I am power, we are the seal, give into us. Let go and we shall help you.**_

_Never!_ Kiku cried in her head, the two men stepped closer to Naruto and she began to pannick, should she? Could she? She woul never survive against those two, but could the seal help?

_I-.._

_**Give into us or he will die...**_

_No, I wont let Naruto Die! I-I need power!_

Kiku stared down, her bangs covering her eyes, "Kiku!" Naruto tried calling for her as a clone of Itachi raced at her. When her eyes opened, her body was covered in markings and wild untamed purple chakra flared around her with murderous intent.

"No!" Kiku yelled out as her gold eyes changed into slits. She managed to dodge Itachi's clone and raced towards the first but got thrown back again, Her features were changing, wings tore out of her back and feathers floated around her, sharp as a blade.

"K-kiku? You used the seal, you know you weren't supposed to." Naruto said, his eyes wide.

"Shut up Naruto." Kiku growled at him, "I wont let them take you." her voice was deeper then normal and beast like.

She stared Itachi down, silence filling the room, whisperes were in Kiku's head. They told her what she was to do, what moves she was capable of and what power she could possibly have if she were to give in fully.

_Shut up!_ Kiku screamed at the voiced, _This my body and I am in control, I will chose how much to use and how much not to! Now shut up! _

Kiku stared down Itachi, both quiet before Kiku ran at Itachi, he met her hits easily and blocked every hit. Kiku then took out a large sword she kept hidden under her cloths and ran at Itachi before swinging it down at him as he sliced at her with a Kunai, both ending up on the opposite ends waiting, Kiku's side ripped open and blood flowed out and Itachi's cloak had gotten ripped. His eyes narrowed at her as she turned around, eyes paind from her side wound.

"I dont have time for this." Itachi said with his eyes closed, then he opened them again, "Tsukyomi!"

Her eyes widened right as she herd him say this and someone who sounded like Sasuke screaming her name.

_Kiku opened her eyes, the world was dark, sky was black and the moon was full and bloody red._

_"Where am I?" Kiku wondered._

_**Your in Tsukuyomi!**_

_"Karasu? I cant see you!" Kiku said," You sound like your right beside me..."_

_"K-Kiku..." She heard Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura call, turning she saw them, covered in wounds and blood._

_"S-sakrura, Sasuke... Naruto!" her eyes widened at this as fear gripped her._

_**No Kiku! Its not real!**_

_"I-It looks real it has to be real!"_

_**Snap out of it!**_

_"Sakura! Sasuke! NARUTO NOOO!" Kiku screamed as they were suddenly cut down, blood spurted everywhere._

_"Kiku run!" A voice called._

_"K-Kotetsu!" Kiku looked scared, Kotetsu took care of her for a long time when her old home coul not... Kotetsu had jumped infront of Kiku, blocking an attack from a shadowed man._

_"Run!" He yelled at her but she looked at him in fright. The shadow had suddenly sliced Kotetsu's head off when he had looked back at her. Her eyes widened and a scream tore from her throat, Karasu kept telling her it wasnt real but she could not hear him as she closed her eyes and opening again. _

_She was running with a tall man who had purple hair, it was raining very badley. He looked back at her and smiled, eyes tan wtih rings around them._

_"We are almost there Kiku. I want you to stay there in that village until I come for you ok? Hanzo is a very dangerous man and I dont want you harmed. Your the only one I have left..." the man said with a frown._

_"hai Nagato-neesan." Kiku said, smiling up at him. She seemed to be 4 years old and was already trained very well._

_They soon arrived at a small un-known village, Nagato leaving her there with a scared look, a man behind him nodding as he took Kiku's had and Nagato took off._

_The man that looked at her had spiked red hair and emerald green eyes, he wore a black cloak like the one Nagato had and he smiled down at her, "My name is Hayden, I will protect you while your brother is out there"_

_However that promise was broken as there was a surprise attack from rouges who killed the entire village and kidnapped both Kiku and Hayden._

_**This is your past Kiku, the Tsukuyomi must have unlocked it...**_

_Kiku was in shock from seeing all those innocent people die, their blood was all over her body, Hayden's body was mangled and many bones were broken so he could not escape. One night after a week of daily beatings that Kiku would receive, Hayden was healed enough that he cut through their binds and made her run, he however was not so lucky and stayed behind to take care of the rouges..._

_She ran as fast as she could, using what little chakra she had, blood dripped out of wounds that had healed from the beatings that now re-opened. Tears streamed down her face when a man with black hair and pale white skin caught her, she screamed and screamed but passed out soon after._

_When Kiku woke she was in a different place, tied down to a table. The man from before that caught her was going through some scrolls. He noticed she was awake and grinned cruely, "My nam is Orochimaru, your going to be my new test subject." He said pulling out a jar glowing evily. Malice poured from the jar and the man closed in, ripping her chest open and crushing the bottle in her she screamed, he made lots of hand signs and only laughed at her._

_"This will be your new host Karasu." Orochimaru laughed before Kiku's vision turned black again._

_A strange voice had woken her, it was deep and scary and it was in her head. She was scared of the voice but the voice told her she had to get away, told her how to get out. Being to afraid of this new voice in her head she ignored it, days passed and she got bloody and battered every day. That Orochimaru person ran many tests on her that made her scream in agony. One day she had enough and listened to the voice witch lead her out and into more woods, this time she ran for weeks, only stopping when she collapsed from exaustion before continuing again, starving and dehidrated she came upon two more men and she screamed again, fearing the pain all over again._

_"Hey its ok, calm down!" A man with Silver hair, a headband with a leafe on it that covered one of his eyes said calmley._

_"Kakashi what is that?" Another voice said, a man who had black hair and red eyes asked._

_Kiku looked at him in fear._

_"Who are you? Where did you come from?" The man had asked._

_"K-kiku." Was the only thing that fell from her lips as she collapsed forward, the man catching him._

_"Where is your family?" He asked again._

_"D-dead"_

_"Hn, dont worry, I'll take you to my village Konoha. My name is Itachi Uchiha."_

_the scene's changed and now she found herself tied to a board, it was in the shape of a T and her arms were spread out, before her stood hundred's of Itachi's, all holding swords._

_"For the next 27 hours you will feal nothing but pain." His voice echoed._

_"Itachi no!" Kiku yelled, scared._

_"starting now," He said as she felt agony course through her, over and over and over again._

Naruto stared in shock as Itachi and Sasuke faught, Itachi used the same attack he used on Kiku, both Sasuke and Kiku were screaming in agony and Naruto stood there in shock, Jaraiya had come and so had Gai, Forching Itachi and fish man to retreat.

"Naruto, Lets go." Jaraiya said, picking Kiku up while Gai picked Sasuke up.

Naruto knew, he knew that this was going to be the start of something that would cause much distruction, if only he knew how right he was.


	10. Kiku's past

_OK so This is Kiku's past, While she is still in the Tsukyomi affect she is remembering every little detail. The hokage had erased some of her memories to lessen her resentment of them. This is what happened in her past after she escaped Orochimaru, This is why she was depressed as Sasuke talked about Itachi._

* * *

><p><em>I ran as fast as I could, my feet crunching grass in the dark forrest, if I didnt hurry he would find me again!<em>

_**Dont look back, keep running!**_

_I-I'm scared! I-I dont know who you are a-and Im l-lost!_

_**Dont fear child, I wont harm you, I will help you as much as I can. My name is Karasu, I am a demon crow. The man known as Orochimaru sealed me into you as he did his testings. I'll help you as much as possible.**_

_W-why are you so nice to me? D-don't you hate me for im-p-prisoning you?_

_**It's not your fault kid, that man forced this, your only an innocent little girl.**_

_I continued to run as Karasu talked to me in my head, he sounded mean and evil. However, the more I talked to him the more friendly he seemed. Maybe his voice just naturally sounded like that..._

_Tree after tree passed me. My feet were bruised and bloody, my body ached all over. Cuts that I had received days ago were reopening. All in all I was in agony. Karasu, the crow demon, was all I had left. He told me which direction I should go, that there was a village close by. I finally reached an opening in the tree lining's and collapsed to my knees, panting for breath._

_In front of me stood two me; one with silver hair, lots of blue clothin, some of which covered his face. On his forehead was a headband with a leaf on it that was tilted to cover his eye. Beside the silver hair'd man, who's hair seemed to defy gravity, stood another man with black hair and peircing red eyes. He wore weird clothings, a strange tatoo on his sholder and a sword on his back. My only reaction was to scream in fear of being caught and beaten again._

_"Hey its ok, calm down!" The man with gravity defying hair said._

_"Kakash?" The red eyes man called._

_I looked at him in fear._

_"Who are you? Where did you come from?" The man had asked._

_"K-kiku." _

_"Where is your family?" He asked again._

_"D-dead"_

_"Hn, dont worry, I'll take you to my village Konoha. My name is Itachi Uchiha."_

* * *

><p><em>When I woke next, which I seemed to be doing alot recently, I was in a different place. Before me stood a man, his grey eye's shined with kindnes, dressed in robe's of white and red.<em>

_"My name is Sarutobi. I am the Leader of this village known as Konohagakure, You may call me Hokage-sama. Itachi-san has told me he found you in the forest, can you tell me what has happened?" The kindley man asked._

_"..."_

_"Do not worry little one, I promise we will protect you." Sarutobi said. Kiku looked up at him, her golden eyes shined with confusion but she nodded anyway._

_"M-my name i-is Kiku..." I told him, cursing my stuttering silently._

_"Kiku? What is your last name?" He asked again._

_Last name? I dont remember..._

_"My last name is..." I thought hard for a moment before thinking of something, "Karasu."_

_I knew Karasu was grinning now, was he happy I used his name as my last name? It didn't matter to me at the moment. I just wished I could remember everything before meeting that snake man._

_"Karasu? Well then, Kiku Karasu, tell me how you became so injured."_

_I had to stand before the elder's of the village and tell them my story of what happened like had with Sarutobi. _

_When I was finished I had broken down from the trauma the man had bestowed upon me. The red eyed man known as Itachi, whom had been listening, walked in and picked me up before glaring sharpley at the man who asked me horrible questions._

_"This child has been through enough Danzo. I will take her to my home for now to calm her down." Itachi said before leaving the room with a nod from the Hokage._

* * *

><p><em>Now laying my head on his back I traveled with him to his home. He was very kind to me like the Hokage and spoke softly. He made sure to steer clear of those horrible questions. Once we reached his home the sky had turned dark. When he opened the door an aroma of sweet food filled my sence's.<em>

_"Mother, I am home." Itachi called. Out stepped a beautiful women with cascading black hair and soft onyx eyes._

_"Itachi who is that? I didn't know you were bringing a guest." The lady smiled._

_"Mother, This is Kiku. Kakashi and I found her in the woods, I'll explain more later for now may I set her to rest in the spare room?" Itachi asked and his mother nodded. _

_With a smile from her Itachi turned and traveled through the nice house, well more like mansion. He soon set me down on a nice bed before leaving the room, telling me to get some sleep._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wake up little one.<strong>_

_My eyes opened when I heard Karasu call me to wake. The room was cool and dark, well aside from thre crack of the door. Peaking into the room from the crack, stood a little boy with wild black hair and innocent shinning onyx eyes._

_**Heh, looks like a chickens butt.**_

_"W-who are you?" I stuttered from trying not to laugh at Karasu's comment._

_"Im Sasuke." He said, blinking, before walking over towards the bed._

_Cute..._

_"I-I'm Kiku." I stuttered. Damn you Shyness!_

_"Where did you come from? Itachi-neesan was talking about you to father and mother. Did someone hurt you?" He asked, sitting at the end of the bed._

_"..."_

_"What's the matter?"_

_"..."_

_"Sasuke, Kiku has had a very hard time. Let us leave so she may get some sleep." Came the mother's voice whom I discovered was named Mikoto. _

_"Kay." Sasuke then looked back to me, "Well, get better soon!" _

_He then ran out the door, leaving me to get back to sleep._

* * *

><p><em>When I woke the next day I was able to eat breakfast with them. Their father, Who I discovered was named Fugaku, was scary and mean. He didn't seem to like me much but never said much of anything. He mostly would belittle Sasuke when he did something that was not like Itachi. Sometimes even scolding Itachi when he did something wrong. When breakfast was done Sasuke had dragged me outside to play.<em>

_I had alot of fun with him and it went on like this for days. However, one day I knew it would have to end. So when the Hokage came by I knew that I would have to leave this place..._

_It was bound to happen... No one wants me..._

_"Kiku hello!" The hogake smiled to me, I returned it with a bigger yet fake one, "Mikoto, Fugaku, I would like to speak to you both."_

_I watched on with a nervous stumach and heavy heart as both Uchiha's walked off to talk to the Hokage. I knew he was telling them I couldn't stay hear anymore..._

_"Kiku-chan" Sasuke called me._

_I looked up with teary eyes, "W-what?"_

_"Don't be scared! I wont let anything bad happen!" He puffed up his chest and I looked away blushing._

_"Kiku." The hokage called to me. I walked up to them, shaking nervously._

_"It has been decided where you will stay." Fugaku said._

_"W-where would that be sir?" I asked trying to be polite._

_"We have decided to adopt you~" Mikoto said cheerfully._

_I felt my face fall... I just stood there gaping like a fish for a second before smiling as big as I could, I turned and hugged Sasuke who laughed. Tears fell from my eyes, cascading down my cheek's like a river._

_"Your my Nee-san now!" Sasuke yelled as he dragged me off to his room to play, not before I ran to hug Mikoto and Fugaku._

* * *

><p><em>Days went by, Mikoto took me shopping and got me toy's and cloths. Fugaku had told Itachi to train me, and Itachi obeyed. So every day Itachi would train me in his spare time and then I would go practice when he was gone. I noticed poor Sasuke was always trying to live up to be as strong as Itachi, but his father never noticed... This made me angry. I stood in my new room, painted purple and had a few toys scattered and a few ninja items. It was midnight now, as I snuck out of my bedroom and too Sasuke's. I tapped in a pattern and the door silently opened. My chicken butt hair'd brother appeared from it with a grin on his face, taking his hand, we silentley made our way down the hall.<em>

_"Where are we going again Nee-chan?" Sasuke whispered._

_"Silly Otouto, we are going to go seceretly train," I whispered with a grin, he only scowled._

_"But Nee-chan!" Sasuke said loudley, when suddenly my hand smacked over his mouth._

_"Shh!" I hissed at him, glanceing around frantically, "Aniki might have heard you."_

_Sasuke gulped at that, both of us looking around before grinning at eachother, he didnt hear! Both started down the hall again and made it outside, Sasuke recognised the way she was leading him towards the lake where he trained his fire ball jutsu._

_"Ok! Now that we are out we can begin! Since Aniki is being a meany, I'll teach you what he teatches me ok?" I told him with a grin._

_If Aniki wants to ignore Sasuke when he wants help, then I'll just teach Otouto everything I learn! That way Sasuke can make his dad notice him for him and not for Aniki. Although he might see him only as Aniki's replica... What should I do?_

_**I know thousand's of Jutsu's Little one. I can take slight control and show what move's.**_

_You wont hurt anyone right?_

_**Of course not.**_

_ok_

_"__**Well, There is one that I learned before I... came hear." **__ Came Kiku's voice, it was altered but Sasuke just ignored it. All he wanted was to make his father proud._

_"__**I call it 'Crow style; Feather storm' but what I want you to do is use your Fire jutsu and make it rain fire!**__"_

_"What? Ok well show me what you do and I'll try to turn it into fire..." Sasuke muttered, not sure he could do it._

_I grinned and used the hand signs for my jutsu, "Crow style; Feather storm!"_

_Just as I said crow's began to appear from the shadow's of the night, all flying into the air cawing loudly. Set up in the middle of the lake was a dummy that would be on the receiving end. Suddenly the crow's poofed out of existance, leaving hundreds of feather's that slowly began to flaot down. I shot my hand out and made a fist, all the feathers stopped in mid air and shot into a strait position. Then I rammed my fist down to rest beside me, the feathers suddenly they shot down, swarming around the dummy before the sharp ends of the feathers began to rip up the dummy until nothing was left._

_"wow!" Sasuke said in awe._

_"Yup!" I replied as a new dummy poof'd into existance, "Now we just need to try to use your fire!"_

* * *

><p><em>Today was the day... I felt nervous. In front of me stood Sasuke, who seemed more nervous, Fugaku, whom was next to him, and Itachi. I watched with excitement. It took forever to convince them to come, we had been training this for week's before Sasuke finally got it. Out on the field stood 10 dummy's. Sasuke was going to take them all down with his new fire jutsu.<em>

_"Alright Sasuke what is this new jutsu you have learned?" Itachi asked, staring at his father before looking back at Sasuke._

_"He made it up on his own." I stated to them, grinning with anticipation._

_"Hear I go!" Sasuke said, making the hand signs, "Fire style; Bullet storm!"_

_Sasuke took a deep breath and then shot out a black smokey cloud that hovered into the air and over the dummies, he made another and sign then the cloud turned bright red as 35 bullets of fire shot out at the dummies. The look on Itachi's and Fugaku's faces were absalutley priceless. I know it made Sasuke's entire year to see that proud glint in Fugaku's eyes._

_"Thats my boy, Sasuke." Fugaku said, patting Sasuke on the head. Sasuke's eyes teared up but he quickley hid them and nodded to his father._

_Itachi left with Fugaku afterwords and Sasuke ran up to me, grabbing me into a very very large bear hug._

_"I did it, I did it!" Sasuke yelled with happy tears, "I finally got father to notice me! All I have to do is master the great fire ball technique."_

_We ran home, ate a good dinner but both of us were way to tired that night to train so we went to sleep._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Where am I? Was this some sort of dream? All around me was fire, ashes, destruction and dead bodies.<strong>_

_**Karasu! Im scared!**_

_**Dead bodies of everyone. They were all gone, all of my new family. Mikoto, Fugaku, Aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents! Then a body lay under a crumpled mass, Chicken butt shaped hair and blue cloths.**_

_**Sasuke!**_

_**His eyes looked up to me with blood pooring out of his mouth. Another figure came, he was standing over Sasuke.**_

_**Aniki! Itachi!**_

_**He looked at me with cold sharingan eyes, tears streamed down my face as I stared at the sharp blade of his.**_

_**Brother...what did you do!**_

_**He only stared at me, a creepy smirk playing at his lips, that was until suddenly blood spurted uot of his mouth as well. I cried and screamed for them to wake up, I wish they would wake! They were all I had!**_

_**A shadow encased the floor, I looked up to see a man in all black clothing, long black hair and red eyes as well.**_

_**He laughed as he took in the dead bodies, everyone in the village was gone and all he did was laugh!**_

_**Stop it! Just stop it!**_

_**"All will perish at my feet! I will rule the world! Lord Madara Uchiha!"**_

* * *

><p><em>I shot out of bed in a cold sweat, crumpling to the floor. I had tear's streaming down my face as I sad up, grabbing a little peach colored rabbit Sasuke and Itachi had gotten me. I opened the door and peaked around, no one was about. I sneaked out of the room and tip toed to a sertain door, as I reached for the knob I heard a voice.<em>

_"Soon, You will begin this soon Itachi. I grow tired of waiting." A deep scary voice said, odly it sounded familiar to me._

_"Hai." Came Itachi's voice. I heard a bit of noise in the room suddenly and I held my breath._

_"Don't keep me waiting." The scary voice hissed out,"-quiet, dont speack. Someone is comeing to the door."_

_"Wait hear then." Itachi said._

_My eyes widened as I heard foot steps comeing towards the door, I ran silently to a broom closet and hid inside. Peaking out, I saw Shisui walk to Itachi's room and nock. Itachi opened the door and they exchanged a few words before Itachi went back into his room, his door left cracked open._

_I waited 20 minutes before I walked semi loudly towards Itachi's room, the dream comeing back to my mind. I started to sniffle, tears forming at the rememberance, as I opened the door._

_"A-Aniki.." I called to him, but he wasn't there._

_I walked over to his bed and saw his ninja gear gone and his window open. Suddenly an arm swooped around me and I let out a scream. It was muffled however when a hand went over my mouth._

_"Kiku?" Itachi's voice came and tears started streaming down, "Whats the matter?"_

_**Run Kiku, Get out of there! That isn't the real Itachi!**_

_What are you talking about? It is the real Itachi. No one can impersinate his smell._

_Ignoring Karasu I took a breath of Itachi's sandlewood smell and smoke, not noticing there was more in the smell then there should have been._

_"I-I had a nightmare... C-can I sleep i-in hear p-please Aniki..." I looked up into his eyes with tears streaming down my face._

_"What did you dream about?" Itachi asked, picking me up and setting me in his lap._

_"A man..."_

_"What about him?" _

_"He was standing with you."_

_"What were we doing?" Itachi asked in confusion._

_"..."_

_"You can tell me Imouto." Itachi smiled at me causing my fear to settle._

_"Y-you were standing over dead bodies, you were laughing really scarily! I was so scared... You killed everyone Itachi! Then your eyes started to bleed and you coughed out blood like you were sick, your eyes turned grey and you collapsed next to Sasuke." I cried out in fear at the memory, burrying my face into his shirt._

_"What about the man?"_

_"I-I dont know... He looked like the family, black hair, red armour... a fan on his back that had our symbole on it. His eyes were scary... they looked like the one's in the books..."_

_"..."_

_"Aniki...Why did I dream of someone I've never seen? Why would I dream of you doing that..." I cried again before snuggling closer. _

_"It's ok, I have to go on a mission but I'll stay until you sleep." Itachi smiled at me._

_"Thank you Aniki." I said before falling into a deep slumber._

_In the early morning Itachi had gone, I felt so safe in his room but I needed to be near someone. I got up and started to walk to Sasuke's room, My vision was blurry and my body wobbley. I barley made it to his room when I walked in._

_"Otouto..." I whispered, he peeked an eye open and rubbed the other sleepily._

_"Neechan?" He yawned, "Whats wrong?"_

_"I dont feel good..." I whispered, "C-can I sleep next to you? I had a nightmare and I tried to get Itachi to help me but he left... Im scared to be alone."_

_"It's ok Neechan, I'll protect you." Sasuke said smiling goofy like._

_"Ok..." I crawled into bed next to him, both of us facing eachother._

_"Night, Otouto." I fell asleep again._

* * *

><p><em>-Whats wrong with her Kaasan?-<em>

_-I dont know Sasuke...-_

_-Is she ok?-_

_-Fugaku, she's burning up! We should get a healer to come-_

_-Its ok Mikoto, just let her sleep a while it could be a bug.-_

_-If you say so...-_

_Something tried to move me and I started crying out and kicking and screaming, I didn't want to leave my safe zone!_

_-Neechan! Calm down! Neechan!-_

_-Kiku stop this at once!-_

_I continued screaming, my body was on fire! Every movement was agony!_

_-Alright, set her back down!-_

_I felt myself being lowered and I began to drift again when I felt Sasuke holding my hand._

_-She sure did throw a fit when we tried to move her...-_

_-It's ok Mikoto, just let her rest.-_

_-Right...-_

* * *

><p><em>-Mother, father? What happened?-<em>

_-Itachi! Im glad your home! She hasn't woken up since the other night... Sasuke told me she fell asleep with you before you went to your mission but came into his room after you left. Was she ok then?-_

_-... Yes she seemed fine to me-_

_-She's running a high fever, it's been like this for two days! Im so worried Fugaku!-_

_I've been out for three day's? I cant move... It's so hot!_

_-She refuses to leave Sasuke's bed, when attemped to move her she screams bloody murder.-_

_-I've had enough... Im getting a medic hear!_

_..._

_**Kiku... Kiku I dont feal so well...**_

_K-Karasu... I can't b-breath..._

* * *

><p><em>-She's running a very high fever...But over all I can detect anything at all. There is absalutly no room in the hospital. All the ninja sent out on mission's have come back almost dead... Im surprised I was able to get out hear. Im afraid all we can do right now is let her rest and if the fever gets to high put her in a tub with ice, get it down as fast as you can.-<em>

_-What do you mean you cant do anything?-_

_-Quiet Sasuke!-_

_-Sorry father...-_

_-Sasuke is right! My babey girl is ill, do you know what happen's when you try to move her? does this sound normal to you!-_

_My body was being lifted again and the fire began shooting through my body again, tears formed around my eyes and I let out a blood curtling scream at the pain._

_-Mommy stop! Stop it! Don't touch her anymore! P-please!-_

_-Mother!-_

_-I have to show them Sasuke, Itachi!-_

_-You act like she is your own flesh and blood-_

_-Idiotic medic, she might as well be. She's been with us for 3 years now! I feal like I had her and I refuse to leave her. I cant have any girl's and she's the closest thing I will get to one!-_

_-Mikoto calm yourself now!-_

_My scream's were increasing to higher levels, I was finally set down and I stopped screaming, but I was cyrying._

_-Kiku... Kiku can you hear me?-_

_I hiccuped in response, my throat constricted painfully. I still could not move._

_-i-is she awake? Kiku, Can you hear us? Sniffle if you can.-_

_I heard Itachi speaking to me and I sniffed best I could but it was weak._

_-ok, Sniff for yes any other noise will be no, Can you move?-_

_I tried to hum no but it came out as a gurggle._

_-Are you in pain?-_

_I sniffed alot._

_-does it hurt when you're moved?-_

_-That's obvious Sasuke.-_

_I sniffed still, but I passed out suddenly again._

* * *

><p><em>When I woke everything hurt, it was too hot, my vision grow blurred. I tried to get up, I had such a hard time walking but I still managed.<em>

_The halls were dark and scary, bodies... there were bodies everywhere. My dream, this wasn't a dream... I walked out into the main room and saw Itachi. He was standing over mother and father with sorrow in his eyes. He suddenly glanced over to me, his eye's lost all emotion and he glared hatefully at me._

_"A...ni...ki"I rasped, coughing out red liquid. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before returning normal._

_"Kiku." He said coldley._

_This wasn't my Aneki... He wasn't like this._

_I walked towards him, almost tripping over dead bodies. When I reached him I collapsed into his bloodied form, tears forming._

_"I...lo...ve you...A..niki...Don't l-let him...Kill y-you... A...ni..ki. P-please...don-" I let out another coughing fit"-n't let M-madara k-kill you..."_

_His eyes went wide at that as he looked back at me, "Kiku... How did you know."_

_"I-I was the one outside... the door that night..." My throught was on fire._

_"Kiku..."_

_"I-I won't tell... I know... I know Danzo... Hokage-sama... Madara made you... Karasu told me..." I replied, "Karasu is a d-demon that Orochima-" I coughed more"-ru sealed in me... he tell's me everything... Aniki I love you..." I managed to say before I collapsed forward. My eyes closed._

* * *

><p><em>-Itachi! Why?-<em>

_-To test my power-_

_-W-what?-_

_-Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me. And yet survive in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to life, and when you have the same eyes as mine, come to me.-_

_-We found a live one!-_

_-What?-_

_-Kakashi its Kiku!-_

_-Sasuke's over hear!-_

_-hurry get them to the hospital!-_

_-Lord hokage-_

_-I promised Itachi I would take care of them but in doing so I have to erase Kiku from most of Sasuke's memories. It will be better this way... Itachi already explained that Kiku would'nt say anything. Make it so that he only remember's her as a friend that came over all the time, that she's been Kakashi's kid all along. Kakashi already agreed to take care of Kiku after I told him Sasuke couldn't remember her.-_

_-Lord Hokage! Kiku's in critical condition! She's been poisoned! Im surprised she's lasted this long, Get in hear and help me! I cant keep her stable!-_

_I let out an agonized scream, I was loosing Sasuke too! NO! I could'nt! they cant do this to me! I hate you all!_

_Karasu this cant be right!_

_**Im sorry little one... I'm so sorry... It would seem you remember everything now...**_


	11. Good bye?

**__**This is a short chapter, The next one will be long I promise but this one is just Kiku's time to leave. Next up will be when Shippuden starts seeing as My memory after Sasuke leave's is fuzzy. I dont have time to watch Naruto anymore even though its the best anime everrrrrr. No fair xO Writting is easy cause that way I can keep my ears open where as watching anime im glued to the t.v and snap at anyone who tries to pull me away xD anyway sorry for short update but the next chappie will be up soon.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kiku, it's time to wake up.<strong>_

I felt drowzy, like I wasn't even really there. My body was numb and I felt like I was on a cloud. When I opened my eyes everything was blurry and white, I could barley make anything out but I senced familiar chakra's above me. one was Sasuke, another was Naruto and last was Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke's chakra were flarring dangerously, I think they were fighting. I got up on wobbly legs.

_**Kiku you need to lay down!**_

I ignored Karasu and hobbled towards the door, everything was spinning as I tried to walk up steps that led to the roof. When I got there I could see Naruto and Sasuke lunging at eachother. In Sasuke's han lay the Chidori, In Naruto's was Rasengan.

"N-no..." I barley managed.

"Stop!" Sakura was screaming at them, running at them.

"S-stop!" I yelled hoarsley but I could'nt do anything as Sakura was to close, she would die!

"Enough!" Another voice joined in, there stood Kakashi. He had both Naruto, and Sasuke's wrist in each hand. They were glaring hatefully at eachother and Sasuke scoffed, "Your team mates! I taught you better then this! Go cool off I expect you to stop this childish antics and get along! You could have Killed Sakura and Kiku! She woke and senced you fighting and even though she's in pain look at her! Right there in front of you!"

Both Naruto and Sasuke looked over to me, I must have looked horrible because their eyes went a wide. Sasuke's only lasted a few seconds before he scoffed again and stormed off.

"Naruto." Kakashi said in a very stern voice, said boy flinched at the tone, "Take Kiku back to her room."

"Hai..." With that Naruto walked towards me and picked me up bridle style and started walking back to my room.

"Are you ok Naruto?" I asked drowsily.

"..."

"Im glad your... ok." I smiled at him, he glanced down at me but anger resided in his eye's.

"yeah."

"Thank you for carrying me Naruto." I said, putting my hand on his cheek. He looked down at me this time, his eyes not as mad. "I'll see you when I wake up again..."

I passed out again, I sure was passing out a lot... It made me feal weak...

Days had passed and I was finally out of that damned hospital. The only thing I did there was remember my anger towards the Elder's and Madara, wherever Madara was. I felt hatred grow in me, how could they take my brother's away. I knew about Itachi but I didn't remember much about Sasuke. I truley thought he had amnesia but now I realised they stole his memories of us, of when we would train, play, and wen I snuck into his room when I had nightmare's like I did Itachi.

During my stay at the hospital I met a man who knew of Karasu, aparantley there was an old abandond village that worshiped Karasu. However week's after the Uchiha massacre the village undergone an epidemic. Loss of crops and raided with sickness, after years it finally grew livable but the man was the only one living there now. His hair was black and eyes dark green, he had this feeling to him that I could trust him. He offered to train me, special training only meant for me and I was really concidering it. It meant I would leave this village, it meant I would no longer see my friends for 3 and a half years.

_Should I Karasu? Can I leave my friends?_

_**You were just saying how you wished you were stronger. You want to help your friends better then you can now right? Then I suggest you go.**_

_Im going to miss everyone.. I'll leave them notes._

_**Shouldn't you inform the Hokage?**_

_Screw the damned bitch. Sarutobi was my leader not 'Tsunade'_

_**She will put you as Missing Nin...**_

_No she won't. Sarutobi knew I would one day leave this place for training so he told me all I had to do was Let Kakashi know. I'll go over to his house and tell him then I should go home and tell Kotetsu... Im not home much anymore so Im sure he's lonley..._

With this in mind I went to Kakashi's whom was not home, so then I went to my home. It was kinda messy and lonley feeling but I found Kotetsu snoring on the couch with a passed out Isumo. I rolled my eyes at the two but smirked with a plan.

Leaning down, I took a huge breath, "KOTETSU!"

With a loud scream Kotetsu jumped five feat into the air, also causing Isumo to wake and go crashing into the coffee table. "Kiku!"

"Hi~" I said in a sing song voice.

"What are you doing trying to give me a heart attack!" He screamed at me, I only laughed at him and hugged him causing him to turn red from embarrasment.

"Awwww sorry Kotetsu." I cooed and rubbed his head.

"Is something up?" He asked, slightley glaring at me.

"W-well I..."

"She's leaving for a training mission." A new voice said, in walked Tsunade, the new hokage. "Kotetsu, Isumo!"

"Yes!" They straitened up.

"I want you two to go with Kiku and keep watch over her. This will be an S-rank mission." Tsunade said.

Both boy's looked at eachother then back at Tsunade with a nodd.

"Get your stuff packed and start heading out. Kiku know's where this place is, Sarutobi-sama left me instruction's that she was to leave for a training trip."

"Im writting my loved one's letters." I muttered before going into my room to pack every thing.

_At least I have Kotetsu and Isumo. I cant wait to get stronger and help everyone._

As I finished the letters I let out a big sigh, I will miss everyone. Tossing on my backpack I made it halfway through the village when I bumped into Sasuke.

"Kiku?" He stared at me in confusion,"Where are you going?"

"I... Im going to go train." I told him.

"You sure did pack alot for just training..."

"... Don't worrie about it." I said with a sigh.

"If your leaving the village I wont stop you." He said looking away.

"I know Sasuke. I'll be back though, The Hokage know's and is setting up the time when I should return so, I'll see you then?" I said, he nodded before looking to the floor.

I walked closer to him but stopped by his side, "Just, if your not hear when I am back remember this, You'll always be my Imouto..." I whispered, I heard his intake of breath. I knew his face showed shock, confusion, horror.

_**He's remembering you, I just know it.**_

_Good._

"See you, Imouto." I said before running off. The last thing I heard was his whisper.

_"Neechan"_


	12. Authors Note

Hey guys, Im editing this story a bit! Im sorry I took so long to get back to writting, been busy fixing up the house and we had issues during last years winter where two trees came down. Been chopping them for our fire place to prepare for this winter. Anyway Im making different series of this story so I deleted chapters after goodbye? And make it complete. Sequil is now being put up with its first chapter as I work on the other chapters. I feel I got a little sloppy when I started the Shippuden version... mostly because I havnt seen the Shippuden of Naruto only read about it. Forgive me for getting things wrong... I dont have the time to watch Naruto Shippuden *crys*


	13. Authors note! Important!

Hello! I am WolfetteKurenai! I am a friend Of Kiku's who was given the log in so I could post a note to everyone concerning her stories. Ah Kiku has given me control of her stories and permission to even changes some.

To be honest KikuKarasu was originally mine but I let her take it to publish it. I've read over it and well, I noticed a lot of it matched up to another fanfiction out there just replacing some things. I have taken back control and am remaking the story ENTIRELY. Any and all Are welcome to find me and read the re-write. Like I said, most of this story was copied from another persons and I'm pretty annoyed that she had done so much out of what was originally for it. The re-written version is not up yet, I am currently writing it plus one of my own fanfics Called Ava and Naruto. (Pairings for that are unknown but are leaning towards Shikamaru or Gaara with my oc)

Legend of the Red Fang was originally Kikus but she lost interest in basically every story so I have had the OK to rewrite and post this story as well. It is up but I paused in it for the moment but I shall continue updating as much as I can when Im not busy with work.

KikuKarasu has decided to drop all her stories and lost interest in writing fanfiction. I lost contact with her a while ago after being asked to leave a message for her.

I plan on trying to revive her stories but the ones Im concentraiting on are KikuKarasu the Crysanthimum crow *renaming btw* and Legend of the Red fang. So hop on over to my account anytime and enjoy the two I have up or, add me to your alerts so you may be notified when the re-make of KikuKarasu Crysanthimum crow is back up! Thank you all!

Much love

WolfetteKurenai


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